CFES Brilliant Pathways – a global leader in helping students from underserved communities become college and career ready – officially launched its new Alumni Network in June of 2018 as part of comprehensive plan to connect the more than 100,000 CFES alumni around the world.

Hundreds of CFES alums have already joined the new network designed to assist CFES scholars in degree completion and provide strategic support to help former scholars access jobs and careers. More than 1,000 CFES alumni are expected to sign up for the network within the first year to kick-start the connection process.

In addition to the Alumni Network, CFES continues to expand its newly created Advisory Board – a network of professionals who help CFES Brilliant Pathways alumni by offering professional support. Members help graduates through mentoring, leadership workshops, job shadowing experiences, monthly live chats, and networking events.

Leading these initiatives is recently hired Alumni Network Director Shadey Trinidad, a CFES alumna from Richard R. Green High School in Manhattan and former NYC teacher. “Getting to college is just the first step,” says Trinidad, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Colby College and a master’s from Hunter College. “In many ways, navigating the college experience and life after college is a lot harder, particularly for students from low-income communities. Being able to work with CFES and fellow CFES alumni has brought me full circle and I’m excited to continue supporting scholars on their post-high school pathways.”

Trinidad is also developing CFES Success Clusters at colleges and universities where large numbers of CFES Scholars are enrolled, including the University of Vermont. The initiative is designed to help CFES Scholars feel connected and supported by each other as well by campus liaisons from admissions, support services and other departments focused on helping students graduate and successfully enter the workforce.

CFES President and CEO Rick Dalton originally announced plans to launch the Alumni Network in December of 2017 at the Harvard Club of New York City. Since then, Dalton has been working with Trinidad and other CFES staff members to meet their latest goal: to help another 100,000 students go to college over the next six years.

“The Alumni Network really embodies our thinking over the past many years,” said Dalton. “We want to help our students be positioned to attain degrees and 21st Century jobs, and the alumni network provides the mechanism to make that happen through the power of people committed to that goal.”

CFES Brilliant Pathways has worked with more than 100,000 students in 1500 schools since launching in 1991. This year, CFES is working with 25,000 students in 150 urban and rural schools in 30 states and Ireland.

For more information about the Alumni Network, Advisory Board and other CFES alumni-related opportunities, please contact Shadey Trinidad at shadey@brilliantpathways.org.