Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Leaders from Rutgers-Newark, City Businesses, and Braven, Unite to Empower College Students For Career Success

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, leaders from Rutgers-Newark and city businesses, and representatives from Braven, a non-profit dedicated to empowering first-generation and other underrepresented college students, met at Prudential’s Newark headquarters to explore the transformative impact of collaboration.

The event, a panel discussion hosted by Rutgers University–Newark and Braven, brought together key figures from higher education, business, and government to discuss how successful anchor partnerships can help prepare Newark students for successful careers.

Panelists highlighted the outcomes of the Rutgers-Newark Braven partnership, which has supported more than 1,600 students since it began in 2015, helping many land internships and jobs with New Jersey corporations and other employers in the city and beyond. 

Titled "Empowering Students from College to Career: Anchor Partnerships Driving Change in Newark," the event showcased how collaboration among key stakeholders can equip students with the skills, networks, and experiences they need to thrive in competitive job markets or graduate school.

In 2023, 238 RU-N Braven Fellows earned bachelor’s degrees. The latest class is outpacing their peers nationally in quality economic opportunity attainment by 25 percentage points (68 percent vs 43 percent) within six months of graduation. Ninety-six percent are employed or enrolled in graduate school.

Regarding demographics, 83 percent of 2023 Braven Fellows identified as people of color, while 67 percent came from a low-income background. Fifty-eight percent are first-generation college students. 

The Braven program, which includes a 3-credit career acceleration course and additional post-course career support, will be required for all Rutgers-Newark sophomores in the fall.

At the event, Baraka praised the work between Newark institutions and Braven, saying that efforts like these create a better city for all.

“Tonight brings together key partners to share best practices, celebrate progress, and explore new avenues for collective action,’’ he said. “By collaborating, we can guarantee that every college student has the opportunity to prosper. There's so much more we can accomplish when we become collaborators or, in fact, co-conspirators.’’
 
He added, “It’s heartening to see so many of you here – in spaces, in rooms that sometimes are not as inviting as they should be, helping prepare a work force with us in mind, to build a future inclusive of everyone.’’

"The energy and commitment in the room are truly inspiring," said Samantha Crockett, Executive Director of Braven Newark. "The partnership between Rutgers-Newark and Braven has been dedicated to developing Newark's next generation of leaders, with 96 percent of fellows identifying as students of color and most hailing from low-income backgrounds or being first-generation college students. This support has been instrumental in helping them succeed."

Rutgers-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor praised the success of the school’s Braven program. She described the potential of students who are often overlooked because they lack the experiences and connections of those whose family members have attended college and found lucrative careers.

Partnerships between academia, business, city government, and programs like Braven can help close gaps. They can also foster respect among future employers for the skills and knowledge students already possess, she said.

 “The walls around opportunity are high and steep to climb but the talent in our backyards is fearsome,’’ said Cantor. “So many of our students didn’t begin on third base but man, do they get to home plate. I’ll put them up against anybody…But you can’t get to home plate unless someone opens the door, unless someone coaches you, unless someone recognizes you have a voice and listens to what you have to say, helps you say it, helps you feel like you belong, and then lets you take over.’’

Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences-Newark Dean Jacqueline Mattis said she can always spot a student who has been through the Braven program. “We talk about geniuses but everyone has a genius. Genius is just the spirit that animates you so that you can do good things in the world,’’ she said. 

“Whether or not we kill that spirit or support that spirit is about the kind of things we’re talking about here. I can tell a Braven student in part because I can see their genius...It’s the way they step up to the plate, not in arrogance, but in appreciation for the talents they have and for the opportunity to cross bridges they know they have the skills to cross,’’ said Mattis.

Speakers at the event included Aimée Eubanks Davis, Braven’s founder and CEO, and industry leaders from Prudential Financial and Barclays, who shared their perspectives and highlighted opportunities for continued progress.

"Prudential's commitment to Newark as an anchor institution is truly inspiring,” said Eubanks Davis. “Our long-standing partnership has served as a model for empowering Rutgers-Newark students. By providing leadership coaching and mentorship, they've equipped students with valuable skills and fostered meaningful career connections. Building on this success, we can achieve even greater impact through an expanded collaboration with Newark institutions."

Former Braven fellow and three-time Braven volunteer Leadership Coach Jamila Ritter exemplifies the impact of these partnerships, enabling students to reach their full potential. Jamila attributes her rapid ascent to vice president at Barclays to her Rutgers Braven experience.

“The successful career I have is a culmination of a lot of things,” said Ritter. “Braven at Rutgers-Newark is one of the things that helped me to be successful. It taught me to tap into my network, to be confident in my voice and my story, and to live my legacy. All of these things were nurtured by my experience at Rutgers and equipped me with the tools that helped me go further in my career.”

Here are additional statistics for Braven Fellows: 

• 76% of RU-N Braven graduates nationally are already outearning their parents at the same age in their first job out of college. By comparison, by age 30, Americans have a 50-50 shot of out-earning their parents, according to statistics.
• Compared with graduates nationally, Braven 2023 graduates of Rutgers University-Newark were 24 percentage points more likely to have at least one internship during their college experience.
• This summer, Rutgers University-Newark and Braven are launching the Capitol Hill Summer Policy Internship with the Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, providing even more opportunities for our students. For eight weeks, four Rutgers-Newark students will support a New Jersey Congressperson in DC this summer.