“Minds Matter helped me realize that neither your economic nor your social circumstances define your future.”
Melisa, Class of 2016
Our Story
In 1991, six Wall Street professionals established Minds Matter in New York City to mentor high-achieving, low-income high school students who had the potential and ambition to pursue a college education but lacked the resources to achieve that dream. Since then, Minds Matter has grown into a national organization with fourteen chapters across the United States in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Southern California, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, the Twin Cities, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Each year, students are guided through valuable lessons in Academic Preparedness, Writing & Critical Thinking, Leadership, Social-Emotional Learning, and SAT Preparation.
We have expanded to serve both Los Angeles and Orange County, and are looking forward to serving more of Southern California.
Our Core Beliefs
We believe that higher education creates pathways out of poverty and that a college education creates positive, multi-generational change for students and their families.
We believe all students who dedicate themselves to the pursuit of higher education should be connected to the support, resources, and community they need to discover their best-fit college—and to enter it ready for the challenge ahead.
We believe our mission can only be fulfilled when we invite and embrace diverse backgrounds, when we exercise understanding and empathy in building lasting connections with each other, and when we are all able to honor and value our full identities.
We believe in the necessity of Minds Matter as a space that puts students’ needs first.
“Nothing in the world can pay for all the effort Minds Matter put into guiding our children so the path to college is less difficult for them.”
Minds Matter Parent, CLASS OF 2020
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