Strive for College
Strive for College is an American nonprofit dedicated to "alleviating inequity in access to higher education". Strive provides high school students with free, online mentoring and guidance with college applications. It is headquartered in Milpitas and has volunteer mentors from corporations and colleges nationwide. History Michael J. Carter started Strive for College in 2007 while a student at Washington University in St. Louis, mentoring students at nearby Eskridge High School. Strive for College expanded following a seed grant in 2009 and grew to become a nationwide organization. It piloted the nation’s first virtual college guidance curriculum in 2013 with the JA & Kathryn Albertson Foundation and launched a national scaling effort with partners including Bloomberg Philanthropies and College Board the following year. Strive for College's growth was sustained with the help of influential sponsors: philanthropist Connie Lurie, former SJSU President Don Kassing, and education innovator, Tom Vander Ark. Strive for College has worked in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, JA & Kathryn Albertson Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, College Board, National College Advising Corps, Deutsche Bank, Fossil Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation and Think Finance. In 2016, Strive for College merged with the Center for Student Opportunity, a nonprofit