Every year, a staggering number of bright minds do not attend college as a result of their family’s financial circumstances.  Minds Matter confronts this issue head on by offering a comprehensive and highly successful three-year program that empowers young people from low-income families to achieve college readiness and success.

With 13 chapters and approximately 1,900 volunteers nationwide, Minds Matter provides students with a variety of resources, including, among other things, individualized mentor support, ACT prep, writing instruction, access to experts on college admission and financial aid, and summer enrichment programs.  The impact Minds Matter has had on their students, all of whom have a family income of less than $25,000, is astounding: since 1991, when the organization was formed, 100% of their graduates have gained admission to a four-year college or university.

Proskauer’s Boston office has hosted events for Minds Matter, and now is involved with their mentorship program.  The mentees attend six-hour Saturday sessions every week throughout the academic year to receive mentorship and academic assistance.  Mentors attend these sessions for two hours, providing a wide array of guidance, including college prep, financial literacy and general moral support.  In addition to myself, associate Brianna Reed and legal recruiting manager Sarah Roberts are participating from Proskauer.

As a first generation American and daughter of Indian immigrant parents, I appreciate the importance of mentorship.  Early on, I knew I wanted to pursue the law, but having had no lawyers in my family, I was a stranger to the journey ahead.  It is because of the various mentors in my life that I was able to succeed as a college student, then paralegal, then law student and now attorney.  Numerous studies have shown the significant impact a mentor can have on young adults developing into successful professionals.  The life-changing impact often comes down to the involvement of a caring adult over time, and is particularly impactful for those who have been raised under challenging circumstances, financial or otherwise.

I am thrilled that Proskauer is part of such an important initiative.