More Than Bootstraps

More Than Bootstraps (MTB) is a non-profit organization founded by educators who understand the challenges first-generation college students face on their journey to and through higher education.

Our mission: To build a community of first-generation, underrepresented students who empower each other to access and succeed in higher education. The MTB strategy for creating a scalable community of success is based on three components: near-peer mentorship, stipend support for program participants, and parent engagement.

MTB employs the power of near-peer mentoring. We train our college student Leader, who are uniquely qualified to understand and motivate their younger peers, to mentor high school juniors and seniors from their community. Our Leaders are not only role models and mentors; they also benefit from being part of a leadership community of college-going peers

The MTB strategy for creating a scalable community of success is based on three components: 1) near-peer mentorship, 2) stipend support for program participants, and 3) parent engagement.

NEAR-PEER MENTORING. College students from within the community return to their high school to guide their younger peers through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a mentoring cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. First-generation high school and college students often have limited resources and significant family responsibilities. We provide financial assistance to allow students to commit the time needed to come together and succeed as a community. All students in the MTB program received monthly stipends, the use of laptop computers, and access to emergency funding.

OUTREACH TO FAMILIES. MTB is a resource for family members and guardians. We help families, particularly immigrant and non-English speaking families, understand the demands and benefits of higher education so that they understand how best to support the college-going success of their children in higher education.

More Than Bootstraps has partnered with the Passaic Public Schools, located in an urban, low-income, Latinx-serving community. Passaic’s student body is made up of groups underrepresented in higher education: low-income, Latinx, and first-generation. Our goal is to serve all students with the drive to succeed in higher education and the commitment to participate in MTB, regardless of prior academic achievement. We serve high school juniors and seniors in the Passaic Public Schools and college students from the Passaic Public Schools. We also strive to support the families of these students because we know that family support is critical to first-generation success.

More Than Bootstraps has published an impact report that covers our initial years of operation (2020 to 2022): https://www.morethanbootstraps.org/mtb-impact-report. The report describes the pathways students have followed since the beginning of our program and provides numerous testimonials highlighting the power of near-peer mentoring, the importance of stipend support, and the benefits of our family outreach efforts.

Significant accomplishments include:

Expanded our mentoring program from eleven students from the Passaic Public Schools in the 2020-2021 academic year to 28 students (14 high school juniors, 5 high school seniors and 9 college student Leaders) in the current 2022-2023 academic year.

Conducted three intensive summer training programs for the new and returning MTB College Student Leaders. The Summer 2022 program included sessions led by outside experts and returning Leaders on imposter syndrome, financial aid, under-matching, networking, and wellness.

Expanded the MTB Advisory Board to eleven members (including nine women) who provide a broad range of expertise and support: https://www.morethanbootstraps.org/board