Capital One Joins Forces with Braven and Spelman College

Capital One announced a three-year commitment to support Braven, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the education-to-employment gap in higher education. 

Braven strives to empower promising, underrepresented young people — first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds and students of color — with the skills, confidence, experiences and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.

This grant will support Braven’s operations in their newest site, Atlanta, which just launched in partnership with Spelman College — one of the city's premiere Historically Black College and Universities.

More than 500 Spelman students will be exposed to the course in Spring 2022, joining a growing network of over 3,700 Braven alumni across the country. Nationwide, Braven is showing promising results. Both before and during the pandemic, Braven Fellows outpaced their peers nationally in strong job attainment or entrance into graduate school by 22 percentage points within six months of graduation.

This support comes as part of the Capital One Impact Initiative, an initial $200 million, five-year commitment to support growth in underserved communities and advance socioeconomic mobility by closing gaps in equity and opportunity.

“Capital One is thrilled to join forces with Braven to equip Spelman students with the skill building and career development training needed to thrive in today’s job market,” said Shavonne Gordon, Vice President of Diversity Enterprise Recruiting at Capital One. “Our partnership with Braven and Spelman is an extension of our commitments to close gaps in equity and opportunity, while working to strengthen our talent pipeline. We look forward to increasing our connectivity and impact at this remarkable institution.”

The Braven experience begins with a credit-bearing course that Spelmanites will take in their sophomore year. Fellows complete weekly online modules on Braven’s online platform and then apply that content through weekly virtual Learning Labs in a cohort with five to eight of their peers that is led by a Leadership Coach. Fellows will complete assignments to grow their leadership in five professional competencies: operating and managing, problem-solving, working in teams, networking and communicating and self-driven leading.

Upon completion, Fellows receive additional opportunities to develop leadership and career-readiness skills, engage in an enduring professional network and support to secure internships and jobs. That includes the Professional Mentor Program, which pairs students with a mentor in their desired field for 12 weeks as they get closer to the time of the job search. 

Additional resources include access to research assistantship, information about job opportunities and professional development and networking events such as company treks and skill builders.

"Capital One’s commitment to Braven and Spelman College was instrumental in launching this program at one of the most storied HBCUs and women’s colleges in the country,” said Aimée Eubanks Davis, founder and CEO of Braven. “As a Black woman, it is never lost on me the potential this partnership has for incredibly talented young women on the path to starting their careers and leadership journeys.”