College Access Coach

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About Us and Our Philosophy

Breakthrough Greater Boston (BTGB) is a transformative college access and teacher training program. BTGB offers six years of academic enrichment and college preparation to middle school and high school students with high potential but limited opportunities. Simultaneously, BTGB recruits, trains, and inspires a diverse cohort of high achieving college students to become the next generation of urban teachers. Leveraging a Students Teaching Students model, BTGB provides engaging, tuition-free academic programming during the summer and after school. Our students gain the skills and motivation to succeed in rigorous high school courses and, ultimately, in college. Meanwhile, our teachers gain hands-on experience, research-based training, and coaching from professional educators.

Over the past eight years, 97% of our graduating students have matriculated to college, and 82% of them have persisted through their undergraduate years. On average, more than 70% of our graduating teachers have gone on to pursue careers in education. After two decades of success at our original Cambridge site, BTGB embarked upon a significant program expansion and opened a second site in Boston in the summer of 2013. Breakthrough will launch programming in its third city, Somerville, during the summer of 2018. As an independent 501c3 nonprofit Breakthrough Greater Boston is part of a national educational movement called The Breakthrough Collaborative working to improve educational outcomes for youth across 25 U.S. cities.

With a deep commitment to our mission, BTGB operates with the highest standards of integrity, and best practices, while also enjoying the ability to be innovative and flexible to meet the evolving needs of our students, families, and teachers. Our team is diverse, high-performing, and dedicated. We continue to build an organizational culture that emphasizes our core values for every member of our community:

• Spirit: We cherish and embody the youthful energy and spirit of our students and teachers
• Continual Learning: Everyone in our community has something to learn and something to teach
• Team Together: We all chip in to accomplish whatever is needed for our teammates and the broader organization
• Student Centered: Our students are our first priority and our decisions center around what benefits our students
• Equity and Opportunity: We value diversity of identity, background and thought. We treat everyone with dignity and respect
• Excellence in Everything: We maintain high expectations for ourselves

SUMMARY

Beginning junior year, Breakthrough Greater Boston works one-on-one with students through each step of the college access process. We are seeking volunteer College Access Coaches who will be trained to support our 11th and 12th grade students in Boston or Cambridge throughout their college application process, from March 2021-March 2022.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Meet weekly with 1-2 high school students throughout their college application process
• Assist student(s) with brainstorming and editing college essays
• Assist student(s) with college research
• Assist student(s) with scholarship searches and applications
• Be available to students by phone and/or email throughout the week
• Work closely with the Director of College Access Programs through check-ins and the completion of an online log following each student meeting
• Participate in three trainings over the course of the year (dates provided during volunteer on-boarding)

QUALIFICATIONS

• Passion for Breakthrough Greater Boston’s mission
• Strong writing ability
• Excellent interpersonal skills, especially the ability to communicate and collaborate with high school students and their families
• Demonstrated openness to feedback and coaching
• Experience working with diverse and/or youth who are first generation to college, preferred

LOGISTICS

The time commitment for a College Access Coach is 1-2 hours per week. Due to COVID-19, all meetings are taking place via Zoom or phone until further notice. When it is deemed possible to resume in-person meetings with students, meeting locations must be public spaces (libraries, coffee shops etc.) and will be determined by the student and their coach. We prefer a one-year commitment (beginning in March) but are open to discussing the possibility of single semesters.

Coaches will be required to attend three group trainings: an on-boarding training (winter), a college essay training (spring), and a college list training (fall).

COMPENSATION

The College Access Coach is a volunteer position.

BENEFITS

• Development of coaching and mentoring skills
• Gain a deeper understanding of the college access process
• Satisfaction of guiding students through their college application process and celebrating their successes with them at the end of senior year and advancing BTGB’s overall mission

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, please email your resume and a cover letter detailing your interest in Breakthrough Greater Boston and relevant skills/experience to jobs@btgbmail.org with the subject line "College Access Coach."

For more information, please visit www.breakthroughgreaterboston.org.

Candidates for employment and employees are considered without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, citizenship, military status, gender identity, genetic disposition or carrier status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Thank you for your interest in Breakthrough Greater Boston!