Every student deserves
a professional network.
Driving Forward gives first-generation college students what their peers already have — paid internships, one-on-one mentorship, and the professional connections that launch careers.
Talent is everywhere.
Opportunity isn’t.
A college degree opens doors — but which doors depends almost entirely on the professional network you walk in with. Students from higher-income families arrive with years of connections and referrals already behind them. First-generation students are building that from zero.
Read our story →We target what actually matters
It takes more than a college degree to land at a great company. Where you intern matters. Who you know matters. How you present yourself matters. And having someone who will make a call on your behalf matters most of all.
Students from higher-income backgrounds accumulate this naturally. First-generation students often have to figure it out alone — or not at all. Driving Forward closes that gap with real work experience, professional coaching, and the mentor relationships that change trajectories.
| Outcome | Without support | With Driving Forward |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive internship | Highly unlikely without a network | Placed in a paid internship — guaranteed |
| Professional mentorship | None, or informal at best | 1:1 mentor matched to your target field |
| Skills training | Learned on the job, if at all | Weekly workshops, coaching, real project work |
| Starting salary | ~$10k below peers at the same school | $103k average among alumni |
| Alumni network | Built slowly from scratch | 250+ alumni and 300+ active mentors |
Ten weeks. Real work.
A foundation that lasts.
Our flagship program is a paid, 10-week internship combining real business project work with structured professional development and one-on-one mentorship from professionals in your target field.
- Paid placement at a real organization — not a simulation
- Weekly professional skills workshops and career coaching
- One-on-one mentor matched to your industry of interest
- Team-based business project with actual deliverables
- Career fair preparation and warm employer introductions
- Ongoing access to the full Driving Forward alumni network
“The program equips students with the tools, mindset, and confidence to thrive — no matter the field.”Max Rivera · Driving Forward Alumni
From application to career —
we’re with you the whole way.
What our alumni say
I came in unsure of what I was capable of. My mentor didn’t just help me find an internship — she helped me understand what I was actually capable of. I left with a job offer and a professional network I still rely on every single day.
I could not have asked for a better program. Driving Forward gave me the internship, the confidence, and the connections to pursue a career I didn’t think was possible for someone like me.
My mentor was my biggest cheerleader — celebrating my wins, reminding me of my potential, and making the introductions that changed the direction of my career entirely.
Career resources for every school you’re already at.
Our free toolkit gives students at 40+ partner schools a detailed, school-specific breakdown of career services, internship funding, student organizations, and alumni networks — all in one place.
Explore the ToolkitMeasuring the careers we’ve launched
Every year we track where our alumni land — employers, salaries, industries. These are the real outcomes of 250+ students who completed the program and built careers that changed the trajectory of their families.
Read our storyFrom program to career
“I didn’t know investment banking was a possibility until Driving Forward showed me the door.”
A first-generation student from Chicago goes from zero finance experience to a full-time offer at a major bank.
“My mentor connected me to a clinical research team. I’m now in medical school.”
How one student used the Driving Forward mentor network to secure research experience her university couldn’t provide.
“The skills workshops taught me how to present myself. That’s what got me the offer.”
A CS student who turned a Driving Forward internship into a full-time role before her junior year was over.
“I cold-applied to 40 internships with no responses. Then I found Driving Forward.”
A business student who didn’t know what consulting was — until his mentor walked him through a case interview.
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