Drew Martin, former Executive Director of KIPP New Jersey, joins Thrive Scholars to focus on scaling the organization to reach thousands of first-generation college students across the nation[PRESS: Access Images here]LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Thrive Scholars ' Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the selection of Drew Martin as its new Chief Executive Officer. Martin joins at a critical juncture for the pioneering organization focused on education equity. Martin will take the helm succeeding Steve Stein, who successfully grew the organization from $2M to $20M over the past eight years. Under Martin's leadership, Thrive Scholars aims to scale the organization to provide transformative education and career opportunities to thousands of high-achieving and academically talented first-generation college students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Martin will assume his new role on August 19th, 2024.Thrive Scholars’ Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the selection of Drew Martin as its new Chief Executive Officer

Thrive Academies program will advance Thrive Scholars' mission to broaden the corporate talent pipeline and enhance economic mobility for low-income, first-gen college-goers nationwideLOS ANGELES, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Thrive Scholars, a national nonprofit that helps high-achieving, first-gen students prepare for and graduate from top colleges to support their success in careers that lead to economic mobility, today announced that its signature program has expanded to New York and Los Angeles. The launch of Thrive Academy – New York Sponsored by Citadel at Mercy University, Manhattan Campus, and BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles at the University of Southern California (USC) marks the first major step in the nonprofit's plan to establish 10 regional Thrive Academies nationwide over the next four years.The launch of Thrive Academies stems from the success of Summer Academy, Thrive Scholars' flagship six-week program that provides rising high school seniors and rising college first-year students with more than 350 hours of college-level academic preparation in calculus, coding, and writing, in addition to college admissions counseling and career development programming.Now, thanks to the support of Citadel, Citadel Securities, and BMO, 5,000 more high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds will have the opportunity to experience transformative higher education opportunities and impactful careers."The funding we've received from our strategic plan investors will make an immediate impact and kickstart our first two regional Thrive Academies," said Tyra Montina, President and Chief Operating Officer of Thrive Scholars. "Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have already raised more than $25 million of our $60 million fundraising goal. This milestone advances our plan to launch 10 regional Thrive Academies over the next four years, giving 5,000 more academically talented first-gen students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to experience transformative higher education opportunities and impactful careers."Partner Contributions and ImpactCitadel and Citadel Securities have contributed $7.5 million to support the launch of Thrive Academy – New York Sponsored by Citadel, reflecting their steadfast commitment to empowering Thrive Scholars. This commitment builds on a years-long relationship between the financial firms and Thrive Scholars, which to date has included an annual sponsorship of 120 Thrive Scholars, annual lead sponsorships of Chicago Summer Academy 2, and the opportunity to participate in an externship to enhance the technical skills of the Scholars.BMO Thrive Academy—Los Angeles is made possible by BMO, whose significant $3 million donation underscores their commitment to eliminating barriers to access higher education and to creating progress in underserved communities across Los Angeles. BMO will also collaborate closely with Thrive Scholars to develop the Career Pathways curriculum, crafting customized programs, company-specific training, and tailored student exercises.The new Thrive Academy – New York Sponsored by Citadel and BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles will each host an inaugural cohort of over 150 students for six intensive weeks of academics

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - BMO today announced a $3 million donation to Thrive Scholars to launch the BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles. Thrive Scholars is a national college-to-career accelerator dedicated to supporting high-achieving students of color from economically disadvantaged backgrounds."Our support of the new BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles aligns with our Purpose to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life and exemplifies our commitment to making progress for the communities we serve," said Kimberley Goode, Chief Communications and Social Impact Officer, BMO. "At BMO, we are proud to support initiatives that help create positive change and eliminate barriers to access in underserved communities across Los Angeles. We are excited to see what the young people who participate in BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles are going to achieve."BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles students start with Summer Academy, an academically intensive program over two summers in the 11th and 12th grade where Scholars attend a daily three-hour calculus class and a three-hour college writing course for six weeks, taught by college professors on a college campus. Once in college, participants of the Thrive Academies program can access Thrive Scholars' career development program, including transformative internship and job opportunities.BMO's support of Thrive Scholars will enable the non-profit to build upon the progress of its Diverse Talent Initiative, recruiting and supporting students at under-resourced schools so they are better prepared to excel academically in top colleges and in meaningful careers that lead to economic mobility