The Wily Network Inc

The Wily Network works to ensure that Scholars have the tools and networks necessary to thrive in four-year residential colleges, and transition successfully into post-college life. We partner with Wily Scholars throughout their college journeys, helping them manage obstacles and celebrate their successes. Our goal is to provide each student the support they need to reach graduation.

As one Scholar put it, "what the Wily Network does is help us manage the noise, and provide us support and care, so we can focus on what we came to school to do: get our degrees."

The Wily Network supports Scholar success through key elements of the Wily program: consistent emotional support, supplemental financial assistance, a community on which they can rely, and opportunities to network that ensure they build the skills needed for an independent future.

Clinical Coaching: Scholars and clinically trained coaches form authentic and meaningful relationships in which students feel both validated and accountable. Students and coaches meet weekly, on campus, to collaborate, identify, and work toward goals. Additionally, coaches are available 24/7 when more support is needed or crises arise.

Supplemental Financial Assistance: Worry over food security, health care and overall financial stability is a constant for Wily Scholars, with negative impacts on their emotional well-being. To enable students to focus on academics, Wily provides a monthly stipend as well as financial assistance to cover gaps in their budgets for both expected and unexpected necessities.

Community Building: In addition to our cornerstone Community Day events and holiday gatherings, Wily holds monthly Dining Out with Wily dinners, as well as frequent meet-ups for museum tours, movies, or bowling. Through these opportunities, Scholars develop peer relationships and build a community where they feel accepted and know that they belong.

Career Development: Our networking program helps Scholars build social capital by connecting them with professionals in their field, including members of our Young Professionals Association. Additionally, our annual Career Fair exposes Scholars to a variety of job and internship opportunities.

We have 17 team members, including 5 full time equivalent Clinical Scholar Coaches, and a Career and Financial Aid Coach. Additionally, we have a 18 person board.

Our fundraising paradigm provides multi-year funding to increase our sustainability. Our Fund-A-Scholar program encourages donors to commit to making a $12,500 donation for four consecutive years, ensuring that we have the funds to see a Scholar through four years of the program. We work to bring in new Fund-a-Scholar donors as previous donors four year commitments expire.

We started working with the first two Wily Scholars in 2016, and expanded quickly. By the time we celebrated our first graduations in 2018, we served more than 25 students.

We started out with the goal of supporting 50 students by 2020 we hit that goal a year early. Today, the Wily Network works with more than 80 Scholars and has celebrated over 60 graduations. And were eager to continue growing and working with more Wily Scholars.

Though 88% of students with similar backgrounds drop out of college, 85% of Wily Scholars have graduated.