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By Steve Seepersaud

Samantha Crockett ’07 says her public high school experience in New York led her to pursue both professional and volunteer experiences in education. As a young person, Crockett was aware of the resources her school lacked and wished she could have had the same experiences as peers elsewhere.

The common thread across her post-������Ƶ life has been creating better outcomes for K-16 students, first as an elementary school teacher and principal, now as executive director for Braven-Newark, working in partnership with the Rutgers University campus in Newark, N.J. She is also serving her second term on the Board of Education for Orange Public Schools.

Braven is a national organization seeking to combat the unfulfilled promise of a bachelor’s degree for many young people. Its mission is to empower first-generation college students, students of color and those from low-income backgrounds by equipping them with skills, networks, experiences and confidence to secure strong first jobs.

“A strong job is one that helps college graduates build long-term health and wealth,” Crockett said. “Braven defines a strong first job as one that requires a bachelor’s degree and is full-time, as well as includes some combination of promotion pathways, employee benefits and a market-competitive starting salary.”

Braven collaborates with institutions of higher education to offer students a for-credit course on building networks and other career readiness skills like applying for jobs and effectively interviewing. Almost 95% of Braven fellows at Rutgers University-Newark (RU-N) graduated on time. What’s more, of the 212 fellows who graduated from RU-N in 2022, 64% of them earned a strong first job after graduation, far surpassing the national average of graduates of color from four-year public institutions.

"We are so fortunate to partner deeply with innovative universities and colleges like RU-N,” said Crockett. “Together, we're helping college students grow their skills and networks to thrive in today's job market and graduate school while providing them with a safe, embedded space to practice."

Speaking further to the success of Braven, RU-N is now pre-enrolling students in the career course, exposing a much larger number of people to this content.

Crockett also fosters partnerships between Braven and local employers which have led to long-term mentoring relationships, and she spearheads development efforts within the state which raise $3 million annually.

At Binghamton, Crockett was closely involved with the Juvenile Urban Multicultural Program (J.U.M.P. Nation) which aims to decrease the high school dropout rate, and increase higher education enrollment. She began her career with Teach for America, working at an elementary school in the Bronx. Attracted by the ability to have a greater hand in designing her own curriculum, she crossed the Hudson River to become a founding teacher for KIPP’s first elementary school in Newark. She was subsequently given the opportunity to open KIPP’s Life Academy in Newark as founding principal, filling a community gap created by the closure of a city school.

From there, it was a natural transition to Braven. She was already partnering with the organization, having started a career team at KIPP which gave rise to, among other things, an internship program and a partnership with Prudential, a major employer in Newark. To Crockett, it’s never too early to think about planning and outcomes.

“Time is precious. You don’t get your four years of college back. You only have one senior year. You only have one year before graduation. My deep ‘why’ is that, no matter what school someone goes to, students should have an experience that will set them up for success and on the path to economic mobility and the freedom it brings.”