WALLIN EDUCATION PARTNERS

WALLIN EDUCATION PARTNERS' (WALLIN) ACTIVITIES FOCUS ON BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS FACED BY UNDER-RESOURCED STUDENTS. WALLIN IS THE ONLY PROGRAM IN MINNESOTA THAT PROVIDES A HOLISTIC COMBINATION OF STUDENT SUPPORT - FINANCIAL AID, INDIVIDUALIZED ADVISING, PERSONALIZED WRAPAROUND SERVICES, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT - TO ENSURE SUCCESS THROUGHOUT COLLEGE AND LAUNCH MEANINGFUL CAREERS. WE SUPPORTED 1,744 ACTIVE WALLIN SCHOLARS IN FY2025, 89% OF WHICH ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR AND 78% ARE THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE. WALLIN PROGRAMS INCLUDE: SCHOLAR ADVISING: SCHOLARS RECEIVE COLLEGE AND CAREER ADVISING FROM A WALLIN ADVISOR. THE SCHOLAR ADVISOR RELATIONSHIP BEGINS WHEN A STUDENT IS ADMITTED INTO OUR PROGRAM DURING THEIR SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND CONTINUES UNTIL THEY GRADUATE COLLEGE AND OFTEN BEYOND. FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AND ADVISORS MEET SIX TO EIGHT TIMES TO CHECK IN ON PROGRESS, DEVELOP GOALS, AND ADDRESS EACH STUDENT'S NEEDS AS THEY CONTINUE TO MEET THROUGHOUT THE SCHOLAR'S TENURE. CURRENTLY, THE SIX YEAR GRADUATION RATE FOR WALLIN SCHOLARS COMPLETING A BACHELORS PROGRAM IS 87% COMPARED TO A 65% GRADUATION RATE FOR ALL STUDENTS NATIONALLY. WALLIN CONTINUES TO DEVELOP PROGRAMMING FOR OUR TWO-YEAR STUDENTS AND SHOW A 66% GRADUATION RATE WITH THE MOST-RECENTLY COMPLETED COHORT COMPARED TO A 35% GRADUATION RATE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MINNESOTA. FINANCIAL AID: SCHOLARS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID DISTRIBUTED TERM BY TERM THROUGHOUT COLLEGE. FUNDS ARE ADMINISTERED DIRECTLY TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, PROVIDED THE STUDENT MEETS MINIMUM GPA REQUIREMENTS AND REMAINS ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION. OUR LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR PARTNER COLLEGES HELP US TO LEVERAGE ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO ENSURE THAT OUR FUNDING DOES NOT REPLACE INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING. CAREER SERVICES: WITH THE ADDITION OF THE UPTURNSHIPS PROGRAM IN FY2024, WALLIN EXPANDED CAREER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THAT PROVIDE SUPPORT TO STUDENTS IN THE AREAS OF CAREER DISCERNMENT AND EXPLORATION, CORE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, SECURING INTERNSHIPS AND APPRENTICESHIPS, DIRECT ACCESS TO CORPORATE PARTNERS' WORKFORCE PIPELINES, AND ALUMNI SUPPORT. BY WAY OF THESE SUPPORT AREAS, WALLIN PROVIDED CAREER SERVICES TO 266 STUDENTS, PLACED SCHOLARS IN 60 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND HAD 20 CORPORATE PARTNERS AND 239 STUDENTS ATTENDING THE WALLIN CAREER FAIR. IN ADDITION TO THE ROBUST CAREER PROGRAMMING EMBEDDED IN OUR CORE MODEL, WE ALSO HOSTED NINE CAREER WORKSHOPS AND TWO EMPLOYER SITE VISITS. PATHWAYS AND PARTNERS: WALLIN IS EXPANDING OUR PROGRAM WITH UNIQUE PATHWAYS THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS THAT BRIDGE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE NEEDS IN HIGH DEMAND FIELDS SUCH AS HEALTH CARE, SOCIAL WORK, TECHNOLOGY, AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT. THROUGH INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMPANIES, THESE PATHWAYS OFFER STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE AND MENTORSHIP, WHILE PREPARING FOR A FULL-TIME CAREER IN THEIR FIELD OF STUDY. FORTY-TWO SCHOLARS PARTICIPATED IN A PATHWAY PROGRAM IN FY2025. OPPORTUNITY PATHWAYS (OP): AT WALLIN, WE KNOW COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS DOES NOT LOOK THE SAME FOR EVERYONE. OP PROVIDES ANOTHER PATHWAY FOR SCHOLARS HEADED TO A COMMUNITY COLLEGE. SCHOLARS RECEIVE THE SAME HOLISTIC SUPPORT OUR TRADITIONAL PROGRAM USES TO INCREASE ACCESS TO CAREER READY PROGRAMS AND INCREASED GRADUATION RATES FOR OUR OP STUDENTS. CURRENTLY, 382 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. HIGHLIGHTS: -WE ARE CURRENTLY SERVING 1,744 STUDENTS. -OVER 6,500 STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED SUPPORT SINCE 1992. -WE PARTNER WITH 78 HIGH SCHOOLS. -65% OF OUR 4-YEAR GRADUATING SCHOLARS REPORTED NO DEBT COMPARED TO MINNESOTA'S 40%. -THE AVERAGE DEBT FOR WALLIN 4-YEAR SCHOLARS IS AROUND $5,000, ROUGHLY 1/4 OF THE $24,000 AVERAGE COLLEGE STUDENT IN MINNESOTA.