Investing in College Access and Success: Supporting Nonprofits to Help Students Succeed

To help high school and college students in under-resourced communities gain access to college or find a career path, Travelers partners with four organizations: College Possible, Hartford Promise, The Opportunity Network and uAspire. These partners connect students and their families with scholarships, college and career planning tools, mentoring, career coaching and postgraduate employment opportunities. The results have helped thousands of students across the United States pursue their college and career dreams.

College Possible

College Possible’s mission is to close the degree divide and make college possible for students from low-income backgrounds through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. Since 2021, Travelers has supported the Catalyze program for community colleges, an expansion of College Possible’s proven model that provides students with training, professional development, a sense of community, team building and course registration support. Through this comprehensive approach, students develop a roadmap for college and career success; understand, navigate and use more on-campus and community resources; form supportive peer groups and campus relationships; and stay on track academically. Students also learn to navigate social and academic challenges and learn effective budgeting and time-management skills. In the 2023-2024 academic year, Catalyze served more than 700 community college students.

Hartford Promise

Travelers is a founding partner of Hartford Promise, a scholarship and integrated college success program for Hartford public school graduates. Believing that all students should have access to higher education, Hartford Promise seeks to “level the playing field” for Hartford students and families, many of whom do not have the resources or even the expectation of going on to college. Since its inception, Hartford Promise has awarded $9.5 million in scholarship dollars to more than 1,100 scholars.

The organization’s Integrated College Success Model, inspired by the Travelers EDGE^® career-pipeline program, is designed to markedly increase a student’s opportunities and success after high school by removing financial barriers through scholarships and recognizing that many Hartford Promise scholars will be first-generation and low-income college students.

The model is designed to bring Hartford Promise Scholars the critical support, transition services and key relationships that research shows are integral to college success. Hartford Promise’s programs and services “reach back” into the Hartford public school system by strengthening the college-going culture; raising awareness of the program; helping students become college aware and college focused at the onset of their high school careers; and helping students stay on track for college admission. Hartford Promise’s model also “reaches forward” by staying closely engaged with students and building strong college/university partnerships.

The Opportunity Network

Travelers partners with The Opportunity Network (OppNet) to provide college access and professional mobility opportunities for students from economically disadvantaged communities. OppNet’s Career Fluency^® curriculum, geared toward high school and college students, bridges the gap between academic learning in the classroom and achievement in college and careers. OppNet’s Partnerships program extends its Career Fluency^® framework to over 10,000 students across the United States, primarily impacting young people from low-income communities. By collaborating with schools and community organizations, OppNet integrates its content into various educational models and provides professional development workshops to train educators in culturally responsive practices. This program builds the capacity of partner organizations to enhance career outcomes for their students. Travelers previously partnered with OppNet through Travelers EDGE. Through our expanded partnership, Travelers employees support OppNet as volunteers throughout the year by participating in events such as speed networking, mock interview workshops and industry-specific career exposure panels.

uAspire

Since 2021, Travelers has served as the sponsor of uAspire’s Financial Aid Series to help address the financial aid and affordability needs of college students. Founded in 1985 as a scholarship organization, uAspire has more than 35 years of providing specific expertise in serving low-income students who are the first generation in their families to attend college. uAspire advises students in California, Massachusetts and New York and trains counselors on college affordability across the United States. Travelers volunteers are contributing to uAspire’s mission by helping students understand financial aid options and research available scholarships.

Community benefits

• College Possible, Hartford Promise, OppNet and uAspire help ensure that higher education is affordable and accessible for first-generation college students and/or students in need.
• Students receive college preparation, retention and transition support, thus making college matriculation and completion more attainable.
• Students build their professional and personal networks and leverage social capital for success in college and the professional world.

Travelers benefits

• Through these partnerships, Travelers gains exposure to a pool of college graduates to tap into as future talent.
• These partnerships provide employees with opportunities to leverage their own professional capabilities, such as mentoring and presentation skills, which helps further develop Travelers’ talent base.
• Employees have expressed satisfaction with the company making investments in the next generation, which deepens engagement and helps drive retention.