What are the options after high school for non-college bound students? Victoria Chen, a former high school biology teacher, founded BridgeYear, a Houston based nonprofit, to address gaps in the education system that fail to provide non-college-bound students with viable career options. As a teacher, Victoria witnessed a valedictorian abandon a full scholarship due to family issues and end up working as a cashier. BridgeYear offers a hands-on career exploration for high-demand well paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree.
Bridgeyear’s flagship program is the Career Test Drive, where students walk into school one day and find their gymnasium completely transformed. Different booths are set up where students can test drive different careers that don’t require a four year degree. Careers such as being an electrician, an auto tech or a surgical technologist. As Victoria says, you should never buy a car without test driving it, and you should never choose a career without giving it a try either.
Right now, Victoria is at a pivotal moment with BridgeYear. As she works to scale she’s also developed morepathways.org, a tech platform that can connect students with vetted workforce training programs. She has the opportunity to pitch morepathways.org to New Profit’s Molly O’Donnell. Molly is a venture philanthropist that invests in social entrepreneurs working to transform education. They dive into how Victoria can balance the organizations direct service work, as they scale for widespread impact.
02:06 Victoria's Journey: From Teacher to Founder
03:04 The Reality of Student Challenges
08:17 The Birth of BridgeYear
09:07 BridgeYear's Career Test Drive Program
13:35 Impact on Student’s
17:18 Scaling Up: The Tech Platform MorePathways.org
19:56 Introducing Molly O’Donnell
23:27 Trade-Off’s: Direct Service and Widespread Impact
24:54 Impact Jenga
29:01 Final Takeaways
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About the Host, Nicole Jarbo:
Nicole Jarbo is the host of Pitch Playground and the CEO of 4.0. An entrepreneur and 4.0 alumni herself, Nicole took a side hustle from $0 to $500k per year and founded a fintech startup that empowered Gen Z with their finances. She's passionate about sharing the inspiring stories of the 4.0 community and believes in work that makes the world more livable, creative, sustainable, and fun.
About 4.0:
4.0 is a hub for education innovators and social entrepreneurs reimagining the future of learning. Through mentorship, funding, and community support, we empower bold thinkers to turn their dreams into reality. To date, 4.0 has helped spark and invest in over 1,800 ideas, and our alumni have impacted over 10M students and families. We envision a future where our education system meets the needs of every family and improves life outcomes for all.
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