For more information, please contact:
csi@making-waves.org
510.778.0340
CAP College Success Institute
Nationally, only 13% of low-income students graduate from college by age 24. This is not enough. CAP College Success Institute shares 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 encouraged to participate.
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. 86% of CAP students are on track to graduate in six years. CAP is a program of
Making Waves Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit.
Our annual conference has been postponed until May 2021 due to the coronavirus. In lieu of this year’s event, we have moved the conversation online creating a special blog series featuring leading practitioners in college success from around the country. Special thanks to The John H. & Regina K. Scully Foundation and The Stupski Foundation for their support
of this series.
CAP College Success Institute Series: Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis

Advancing Educational Equity on a National Scale
December 15, 2020
As we come to the close of 2020, we have all experienced a year none of us were prepared for, and its effects have…

College Coaches Discuss Students’ Resilience Amid the Challenges of COVID-19
November 18, 2020
Since the school year started this fall, headlines have been warning that the challenges of attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic are disproportionately impacting…

Recent College Graduates Discuss Navigating the COVID-19 Job Market
October 21, 2020
Our guest host Courtney Arguello, the lead career and alumni coach at Making Waves’ college success program (CAP), assembled a group of four alumni who graduated college in 2020 and were able to find full-time jobs despite COVID-19’s impact…

Professional Development in the Time of COVID
September 23, 2020
For an in-depth view of how COVID-19 is impacting college access and success professionals at the institutional level, we reached out to Karin Elliott,…

From Richmond Beginnings to Harvard During a Pandemic
July 21, 2020
Enrique Romero received his acceptance letter from Harvard Graduate School of Education and was scheduled to start this summer in Cambridge. Now, he is…

Sustaining Career Pathways During COVID-19
June 30, 2020
Dear College Success colleagues, This blog series has focused on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on low-income students and their ability to…

Leveraging Technology Solutions
April 14, 2020
As I discussed in my last blog – the first of this ongoing series “CAP College Success Institute Series: Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)…

The Challenges of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis for Low-Income College Students
April 1, 2020
As the executive director of CAP, a college success program that helps low-income students navigate the challenges of college and get on a promising…

Mentorship, Responsiveness and Encouragement – All Keys to Closing College Student Inequities
May 11, 2020
While the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has made disadvantaged student inequities more visible, it is important to remember that these predate the pandemic and will…

Helping College Students Find Resources During Coronavirus
April 28, 2020
COVID-19’s college campus closures have disproportionately impacted lower-income students spotlighting already existing inequities. Many are now grappling with disrupted lives and academic journeys, figuring…