
Braven
Model & Strategy
Braven empowers promising young people on their path to college graduation and strong first jobs. We believe that our next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere, so we take a particular interest in ensuring our talent network is filled with people from underrepresented backgrounds. To do so, Braven partners with educational institutions, volunteer professionals, and employers to offer The Braven Accelerator–a rigorous and relevant career readiness course–followed by robust campus-based alumni programming. The hybrid online and in-person course is targeted as a part of the sophomore or transfer junior experience.
Braven Fellows will learn the hard and soft skills companies and organizations want and practice them in mock professional settings; apply skills to solve real-world challenges with a cohort of peers; receive small group and one-on-one coaching from a local professional to achieve personal and professional goals; and expand their circle of champions to include motivated peers, supportive adults, and respected thought leaders.



Aimée Eubanks Davis was inspired to start Braven based on her deep passion and belief that our next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere. Growing up in low-income and underrepresented communities and working with young people from similar backgrounds have driven her mission to discover, develop, and connect extraordinary, diverse young people who can become tomorrow’s leaders. Aimée’s background and experiences have made it clear to her that education alone is not enough to reach your fullest potential in life; mentors, peers, and opportunities are also critical. She has witnessed firsthand the many dreams deferred by the realities of growing up in low-income communities, as well as what we all lose without diverse teams and leadership in the workplace.
Aimée spent the majority of her career at Teach For America, which she joined in 1995 as a corp member in New Orleans. In 2002, she joined the TFA staff as Vice President of New Site Development, helping to grow the organization’s presence into Miami and Philadelphia, as well as doubling TFA’s presence in New York City. In 2005, Aimée became the Chief People Officer and oversaw the organization’s staff growth from 200 to over 2500 staff members. In 2011, Aimée took on the expanded role of Executive Vice President of People, Community and Diversity, leading TFA’s work to uphold its commitment to diversity and to build an organization that is a model of fairness and equality. From 2013 to early 2015, she led TFA’s Public Affairs and Communications teams before departing to devote her full energies to Braven. Aimée is a graduate of Mt. Holyoke College.
IMPACT
Braven Fellows continue to outpace the national average for strong job attainment. Within six months of graduation, 71% of Fellows secured quality full-time jobs worthy of their degrees or enrolled in graduate school compared to 56% of all students and 49% of Black and Latinx students from public universities.
49% of Braven graduates are out-earning their parents in their first job out of college and achieving the American Dream in economic terms. By comparison, by age 30, Americans have only a 50-50 shot of out-earning their parents.
Internships and College Persistence: 73% of Braven college graduates completed at least one internship in college, compared to 49% of all first-generation graduating seniors at large state schools. 95% of Fellows, who typically join us during sophomore or junior year, are persisting or have graduated from college.
Braven News
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The Unexpected Value of the Liberal ArtsBraven, a nonprofit founded by Aimée Eubanks Davis, a former Teach for America executive, is offering career-readiness programs to students on campus. Making its debut in 2014,…Aug 2017
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This Accelerator Empowers Low-Income Students to Jump the College-to-Career DivideOnly one in four of the 1.2 million low-income or first-generation college enrollees each year will graduate and land a strong first job or enter…May 2017
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Why Getting Out of College Can Be As Hard As Getting InAimée Eubanks Davis conceived of the idea for Braven while working on the senior leadership team at Teach for America. Once a sixth-grade teacher through…Jan 2017
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NPR Spotlight on BravenAimée Eubanks Davis founded her organization, Braven, in order to help her students graduating from college find their first good job. To accomplish this task,…Aug 2016
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Aimee Eubanks Davis: Re-imagining College-to-Career SuccessIt is often said that college education is the ticket to upward mobility, the American Dream. While some believe that the American Dream still exists,…Nov 2015
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This week, many of our Braven staff, employer partners, and other champions participated in the first Braven Spelma… https://t.co/CgNe95sYcT
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Are you looking for an opportunity to help Braven Fellows hone their interview skills? Sign up to be a Virtual Mock… https://t.co/5ELyuaMiUD
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RT @McNultyFound: This #BlackHistoryMonth, we honor the Black leaders in our community who work to empower communities across the globe. Sw…
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It’s #BlackHistoryMonth, a time to celebrate the achievements and stories of Black Americans throughout history and… https://t.co/pS1RImM7DB
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Meet Curt Springstead, an LC from Newark. When seeking mentorship, Curt advises “Interaction with groups, companies… https://t.co/0WzN26KaD0
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Meet Billie-Jazz Eyondi, a Newark Leadership Coach. She shares, “Coaching is a powerful partnership that explores a… https://t.co/OqPy6TChSM
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Meet Lucy Wang, a Leadership Coach in Newark. She shares, “I engage with students of all different backgrounds and… https://t.co/AKQMSKZ0ot
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Meet Antonio Hill, a Braven Atlanta LC! He shares, “Mentoring allowed me to listen and find similar things and inte… https://t.co/LwuX1ehKas
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Meet Nimnadi De Silva, a Braven Leadership Coach based in Atlanta. She gives back because she believes in the power… https://t.co/aUp3WXQx2h
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Meet Vijay Peyyala from our Newark hub, who we’re excited to feature today for #MentoringMonth! Vijay volunteers wi… https://t.co/c8ZPP4sbJk
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Thanks to the #DeloitteFoundation for supporting @BeBraven to help diverse college students on a path to economic m… https://t.co/OyjJtMo8r4
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Meet Rob Intrieri, a Braven Leadership Coach from New York City who we’re thrilled to highlight for #MentoringMonth… https://t.co/vcKv1qSFy3
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From all of us at Braven, we wish you a Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate. We wish you prosperity and hap… https://t.co/hSpXcb9Uic
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Meet Leadership Coach Mollie Lo from our Chicago hub, who we have the pleasure honoring for #MentoringMonth! “Becau… https://t.co/USi2OHDa7N
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Attention Braven Fellows and PAFs: The Professional Mentor Program application deadline has been extended to Sunday… https://t.co/fmp1liAWj3
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Our Leadership Coaches (LCs) play a tremendous role in mentoring and empowering our Fellows. We are excited to high… https://t.co/PpCYJYHNgB
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On this #MLK Day, we must remember to continue to demand and fight for change, even if progress is slow. As we cont… https://t.co/pkBOVtOnhv
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RT @dphuong: One of our @SanJoseStateFB @BeBraven recently graduated and shared his story at @tippingpoint's annual Breakfast. Malik shares…