Non-profit in Boston helps students make higher education more accessible and diverse

By Vivienne Felber

Leadership Brainery, a Boston non-profit, is helping enhance diversity and accessibility in higher education through networking opportunities. The non-profit held its sixth annual Graduate School Summit and Change Can’t Wait Awards on Saturday. Featuring admissions mentoring, test prep, a recruitment fair, and financial support, drawing participation from prestigious institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and Cornell.

Co-founder Derrick Young emphasized the importance of diversity in leadership roles, noting that those hold many influential positions with advanced degrees. 

Danielle Gathers, a graduate of MIT now attending Harvard Law School, shared how Leadership Brainery has significantly influenced her education and career, highlighting the support she received in becoming the first Black woman student body president at MIT.

This year, over 200 students participated in the summit, gaining valuable opportunities for master’s and doctoral programs.

Gathers stated her overall hope is to inspire and influence other younger students to follow their dreams, just as Leadership Brainery did for her. She added, “It’s really important to lift while we climb.”