ABOUT THE CAP COLLEGE SUCCESS INSTITUTE

Nationally, only 13% of low-income students graduate from college by age 24. This is not enough. This year, professionals from across the country will convene at the CAP College Success Institute to share best practices and strategies that help increase the college graduation rate of low-income and first-generation students. Professionals from community-based and direct-service organizations, representatives from colleges and universities, and technology innovators are invited to attend.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS 

The theme for the 2020 conference is: “Theory to Action: Empowering Students to College and Career Success”

• Understanding the challenges faced by low-income and first-generation college students 
• Leveraging technology solutions such as data management, analysis, and direct tools 
• Financing an education with financial aid, debt reduction, and scholarships 
• Best practices in direct service intervention, including coaching  
• Strategies to support college students transition from college to career

HOST

The College Success Institute is hosted by CAP, which supports nearly 700 students through the successful completion of their college degrees, as quickly and with as little debt as possible. While nationally just 13% of low-income students have a college degree by age 24 (or six years), 86% of CAP students are on track to graduate in six years. CAP is a program of Making Waves Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit.

 

LOCATION

The CAP College Success Institute will take place at the Oakland Marriott City Center (1001 Broadway, Oakland, California, 94607). The room block for this conference is available here. 

 

COLLEGE SUCCESS INSTITUTE AGENDA

The full conference agenda will be announced soon.

 

Please let us know if you would like to be informed of the latest conference updates by completing this form.

 

BIOGRAPHIES OF FEATURED SPEAKERS 

Additional featured speakers will be announced soon.

Dr. Anthony Abraham Jack, sociologist and Assistant Professor of Education at Harvard University, is transforming the way we address diversity and inclusion in education. His new book, “The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students,” reframes the conversation surrounding poverty and higher education. Anthony Jack is also a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. Recently, he wrote a feature for The New York Times Magazine’s Education Issue, based off his book and life experience as a low-income college student. His research has been cited by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, The National Review, The Washington Post, American RadioWorks, WBUR, and MPR. His book, “The Privileged Poor,” was named the 2018 recipient of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize by Harvard University Press.

 

Andrea Schwartz Boone joined Braven as a founding member in 2013 to launch the college pilot which has evolved into the organization’s core product, successfully serving thousands of students nationally. She has led various functions over time – from strategy to people to operations – and is now focused on deepening and growing impact in the Bay Area, Braven’s largest market. Andrea is a first-generation college graduate (USC), a high school educator (Charlotte Mecklenburg school district), and a talent acquisition leader (Teach For America). She deeply understands the roadblocks first-generation students face in graduating on a path to economic mobility as well as the unique role public-private partnerships can play to accelerate talent solutions. She loves being back home in the Bay Area, where she enjoys hiking in the humidity-free sunshine and spending quality time with her partner, son, and lifelong friends.

 

Alison Richardson currently serves as the Director of Equity Initiatives at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) responsible for increasing the retention and graduation rates of our first-generation and underserved students through innovative services and programs. Prior to her appointment as Director, Alison served as the Director of the Educational Opportunity Program for six years at CSUEB.  For three years, she served as the Program Development Director at the YMCA of the East Bay in Oakland, CA. At the YMCA, her main focus was developing grant-funded community programs and initiatives that centered around health, wellness and education with regards to critical issues crucial within East Bay communities.  Before joining the YMCA she spent twelve years in Higher Education at UC Davis, University of Southern California, California State University Northridge and the University of San Francisco where she directed residential life, campus events, undergraduate student orientation, student government, involvement and leadership programs. Alison received her Bachelor of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Student Personnel from the University of San Francisco. Recently, Alison received her doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice at California State University, East Bay.

 

Hector Preciado Ruiz was born in San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles. The 11th of 13 children, Héctor is the first in his family to attend college. Héctor earned an Associate of Arts degree from Mount San Antonio College, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Pomona College, and a Master of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Héctor launched his career at the Greenlining Institute where he spent 9 years holding various positions, ultimately becoming Greenlining’s first Chief Operating Officer. After Greenlining, Héctor switched careers and moved into the Technology sector and was most recently the Global Director of Sales Development at Hired. Prior to that, he spent over 5 years at Linkedin where he held several leadership roles and where he founded HOLA, Linkedin’s Latino employee resource group.

 

Oscar Sweeten-Lopez is the president of College Success Tools at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the founder of GradSnapp, a technology that helps professionals track and support their students to college graduation. From 2005–2016, Oscar was the portfolio director overseeing the highly successful Dell Scholars program, which supports disadvantaged students to graduate at four times the national average. Oscar currently serves as President, Board of Directors for the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).