Equalize Opportunity, Unlock Potential
Leaven envisions a world in which high-achieving students from low-income families have the same opportunities as their higher income peers to attend, thrive at, and graduate from top-tier colleges, prepared to succeed in life and contribute to their communities. To help realize this vision here in Sarasota, we are dedicated to developing the full academic and personal potential of exceptional local high school students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Leaven advances this mission through five key strategies.
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Define Success as Graduation
Getting into college is a necessary, but insufficient condition. The goal is to thrive in college and graduate in four years with little or no debt, equipped to flourish in graduate school or in the student’s chosen career.
Tap Selective Colleges' Endowments
Leaven’s business model “exports” nearly all the cost of each Scholar’s undergraduate education to the college or university the student attends on a full, or near-full, scholarship covering tuition, room, board, books, supplies, and fees.
This model works because the highly selective, richly endowed schools Leaven targets (e.g., Yale, MIT, Harvard, Williams) offer generous financial aid and mentoring to students like Leaven Scholars. This leaves Leaven’s donors to fund only: (i) the guidance, enrichment, and support our Scholars need to prepare for the competitive college application and scholarship process and (ii) the gaps in financial aid packages from even the wealthiest schools (e.g., funds to purchase a laptop, winter clothes, and dorm room basics).
Leaven’s model allows the Scholars’ colleges and universities to subsidize Sarasota’s traditional local scholarship resources since each Scholar’s education is almost entirely paid for by the student’s school.
Invest in Students Earlier
At Leaven, our experience demonstrates that an earlier investment in a high school student, and one that encompasses individualized, timely, expert college counseling yields greater returns than the traditional, third-party scholarship model of funds awarded upon a student’s admission to college.
A student who’s had the benefit of comprehensive guidance and support is far better prepared to compete favorably for admission to, and aid from the nation’s premier schools. Since Leaven Scholars earn full four-year scholarships, and the per-student cost of the country’s top colleges and universities is now nearly $300,000, the return on a modest investment is compelling.
Address the Challenge Comprehensively
No one individual can deliver the scope and depth of academic support and enrichment resources needed. While Leaven provides the college guidance and academic advising, Leaven partners with others for the full range of resources these students require to realize their potential.
For example, Leaven regularly partners with RevolutionPrep for academic reinforcement or standardized test preparation using best-in-class tutors who deliver real-time services via online 1:1 conferencing.
Some Leaven Scholars learn and later help teach coding, 3D-printing, and computer aided design at the Fab Lab. Others intern at local institutions like Selby Gardens, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, and the Laurel Civic Association for research experience and service learning.
Our Scholars also apply for and win prestigious scholarships for summer enrichment and pre-college programs at schools such as Brown, Duke, and Yale. As well, most attend QuestBridge College Prep Scholar conferences to learn more about college admissions and financial aid.