AN INITIATIVE OF UNREAPED CORNERS
RISE
Relationships · Investment · STEM · Empowerment
Connecting one school community at a time with HBCUs, STEM career pathways, mentors, and whole-family support.
INITIATIVE OVERVIEW
RISE at a Glance —
RISE is a long-term, community-centered initiative designed to expand opportunity for students and families by connecting and strengthening resources that already exist.
Beginning with one Northern Virginia school community, RISE brings together schools, HBCUs, employers, mentors, service providers, families, and community organizations around shared goals for greater socioeconomic mobility.
ONE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
A concentrated, long-term approach designed to build relationships and deepen impact.
THREE AREAS OF FOCUS
STEM & Career Pathways
Family Empowerment
Generosity & Leadership
PARTNER-FIRST
Programming is designed collaboratively and delivered through existing school and community organizations.
INITIATIVE CONTEXT
Why RISE —
Many programs provide valuable support to students and families, but those efforts can operate separately from one another.
RISE focuses on one school community and works across those existing efforts—connecting organizations, resources, relationships, and opportunities around students and families.
RISE intentionally focuses on students and families who might not otherwise have access to these opportunities or who would normally fall through the gap.
The goal is not to create another program for the school to manage. It is to strengthen what already exists, help close gaps, and create pathways that can remain in place over time.
INITIATIVE FOCUS
What RISE Brings Together —
STEM & Career Pathways
Connecting students with STEM enrichment, mentoring, and exposure to multiple education and career pathways, including HBCUs, community colleges, skilled trades, and industry certifications.
Family Empowerment
Connecting families with financial literacy, workforce development, community services, and other resources that support greater economic stability and socioeconomic mobility.
Generosity & Leadership
Creating opportunities for students and families to develop leadership, serve others, and practice intentional generosity in ways they can carry forward in their own communities.
INITIATIVE STRUCTURE
RISE in Practice —
RISE is being designed as a cohort-based model that brings students, families, schools, mentors, HBCUs, employers, and community partners together.
Student Cohorts
Students move through the program together, building continuity and shared experience.
Career Readiness
Workplace expectations, professional skills, and the steps toward education and career pathways.
Educational Support
Scholarships and other support for students who successfully complete RISE participation requirements.
Family Participation
Families take part alongside students in selected programming, reinforcing a whole-family approach.
Sustained Engagement
Relationships built across multiple experiences rather than a single event or activity.
Individual Connections
Students and families connected to mentors, partners, and resources based on identified needs.
The specific mix of programming will be shaped by the needs and priorities of each school community, along with the strengths and resources of its partner network.
INITIATIVE STATUS
In Early Development —
RISE is in early development.
We are currently listening to school leaders, parents, service providers, HBCUs, mentors, employers, advisors, and other community partners as we shape the first implementation and identify where Unreaped Corners can add the greatest value.
The first step is conversation.