Today, Maria talks with Jackson Boyar, a Forbes 30 under 30 in Education and the co-founder and CEO of Mentor Collective, a startup that deploys social capital for student success in higher education. Together, they discuss how relationships shape the experience and outcomes of a student’s journey through higher education. Some students will find these relationships among faculty and advisors. However, many more will struggle to forge the long-lasting relationships that drive student success and open doors. They also unpack how in today’s uncertainty amid COVID-19, mentors can raise flags for students who are facing high levels of anxiety, financial stress and other COVID-19 related issues. Tune in to listen and learn from an inspiring entrepreneur who seeks to make life-changing relationships a feature of every student’s college experience and help them prepare for a successful career.
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find more about Jackson Boyar and Mentor Collective:
Jackson on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to this episode and explore:
Childhood: being influenced by his entrepreneur dad and his holistic education (3:15)
Jackson’s formative experience in China at age 16 (6:52)
Studying Chinese and Economics in college (8:33)
Getting involved with the international students' community in college (10:22)
The journey to co-founding Mentor Collective (13:27)
Mentor Collective: who they serve and what problems they address (17:05)
The skills students acquire during their mentoring programs (20:24)
Mentor Collective’s process for finding and training mentors (22:54)
Mentor Collective versus in-house mentoring in higher ed: a scalable and consistent experience (25:35)
What makes Mentor Collective’s process work (28:16)
Their entrepreneurial journey from their first contract to over 40,000 students (30:57)
How COVID-19 has affected Mentor Collective and their mentoring programs (34:49)
Taking care of students through distance mentoring during the pandemic (38:06)
Bringing Mentor Collective’s to community colleges through an impact investor (41:40)
The one thing Jackson wants to leave his mark on during his lifetime (43:24)
Maria’s key takeaways and call-to-action (45:22)