Her Climb is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunity for young women from underserved communities. We provide a free multi-year support that combines academic and leadership development with real-world career exposure. Our mission is to ensure girls arrive at college—and beyond—confident, connected, and prepared to lead.

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WHAT PROBLEM ARE WE LOOKING TO SOLVE?

Too many girls from underserved communities are told college is the finish line but are given no support to reach it or succeed once they get there. They learn to work hard yet are rarely given access to the rooms and relationships that shape opportunity.

 

The result is predictable: students with talent and ambition fall through the cracks. They take on debt without a clear path forward. They enter college already behind. They never get to explore the careers they might lead one day.

 

Her Climb exists to change that for girls early enough that it still matters. We pair academic and leadership development with real-world exposure to careers in business, creative arts, journalism, and STEM. We provide mentorship, mental health support, stipends, and a community that stays with them long after one summer.

 

We are not creating a short-term program. We are addressing the access and confidence gaps that widen during high school and follow young women into adulthood. Our goal is simple: ensure that talented girls who have been left out of the power structures learn how to enter them prepared, supported, and ready to lead.

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HOW WILL WE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM?

We are solving this problem by building a long-term pathway to college and leadership that begins early, connects girls to real professional environments, and supports them through every transition.

 

Her Climb starts with a three-week summer program at Columbia University for rising sophomores, where girls choose one of four career tracks: business, creative arts, journalism, or STEM. They receive hands-on experience, mentorship, financial literacy training, and a stipend to ensure participation is possible for every family. Our programming is rooted in four pillars: leadership, access, wellness, and sisterhood.

 

After summer, support continues through year-round programming: monthly workshops, college access coaching, mental wellness tools, industry exposure, and community-building events. Each student is paired with a mentor and a track-specific network that grows alongside them. We track outcomes over time and adjust support as their needs evolve.

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We also partner directly with companies, universities, and nonprofit organizations to ensure students are not only learning about opportunities but actively stepping into them. Our model is designed to grow with our cohorts. In the long term, this pipeline will expand into a full-scale high school experience built on these same pillars.

 

This is how we ensure girls do not just make it to college. They arrive confident, connected, and prepared to lead.

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HOW DO WE RECRUIT AND RETAIN STUDENTS?

We recruit students through direct partnerships with public high schools, working closely with guidance counselors, College and Career offices, and educators who know which students can benefit most from our program. We host in-school info sessions, provide simple application materials, and ensure our selection criteria focus on potential, curiosity, and access needs rather than past privilege or performance.

 

Retention is built into our model. Every student receives a monthly touchpoint with our team and their mentor. Workshops and events are purposeful, fun, and designed to build belonging. Stipends, meals, transportation fares, and wellness support remove the friction points that often force students to disengage. Families are included through regular communication and optional involvement opportunities, because supportive adults strengthen student commitment.

 

We measure engagement from day one and intervene early if a student shows signs of disconnecting. The result is a multi-year journey that students want to continue, because they feel seen, supported, and part of something meaningful.

 

Our goal is not just to enroll students. It is to walk with them until they step confidently into the futures they choose.

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WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

There are many excellent organizations serving youth, including programs focused on college access, career exposure, and leadership development. We admire this ecosystem. Still, none of these programs directly combine:

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• A girls-only environment specifically for public school students

• A multi-year model that starts early

• A four-track career development journey chosen by the student

• Financial stipends integrated with real financial literacy

• A university home on an elite campus

• A wellness and confidence pillar that blends mental health support with physical experiences
   

Most programs focus on academics or professional access in isolation. Her Climb situates leadership development at the center. Students do not just visit inspiring spaces. They learn to move through them as if they belong, because they do.

 

Our differentiation is simple: We've built the program we needed when we were young, one that prepares girls to thrive in college and influence the rooms they enter.