OppNet, uAspire and Hartford Promise

To help high school students in under-resourced communities gain access to college and find a career path, Travelers partners with three organizations: uAspire, The Opportunity Network (OppNet) and Hartford Promise. These partners connect students and their families with scholarships, college and career planning tools, career coaching and post-graduate employment opportunities. The results have helped thousands of students in New York City, Hartford, Massachusetts, California and other locations throughout the United States pursue their college and career dreams.

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 experience directly supporting students and practitioners, with 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 country. Travelers volunteers are contributing to uAspire's mission, too. As part of the program, Travelers employees are trained to provide students with financial aid awareness and help them research available scholarships.

The Opportunity Network

Travelers partners with 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. The six- to eight-year direct-service program serves more than 1,000 students recruited from New York City public high schools. By the time students graduate from college, they are equipped with the education, skills and expertise to leverage their personal and professional networks and to help them secure jobs in their fields of interest. Travelers previously partnered with OppNet through the Travelers EDGE^® career-pipeline program. Through our expanded partnership, Travelers employees also support OppNet as volunteers throughout the year. They participate in events such as speed networking, mock interview workshops and industry-specific career exposure panels.

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 million in scholarship dollars to more than 1,000 students.

The organization’s Integrated College Success Model, inspired by the Travelers EDGE program, is designed to markedly increase a student’s opportunities and success after high school, including 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. 

Community Benefits

• UAspire, OppNet and Hartford Promise 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 entrance 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 team 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.