College Track: 2020 Social Mobility Report 2020 Social Mobility Report | Page 3

OBJECTIVE
For the fourth consecutive year, we surveyed our
college graduates to determine whether their
bachelor’s degrees have paved the way to a life of
opportunity, choice, and power.
In addition to the quantitative and qualitative data
shared in this report, our alumni stories reaffirm our
hypothesis:
“As a Syrian national, first-generation student, and
refugee with temporary protected status in the U.S.,
I experienced a number of troubling disadvantages
on the path to higher education and my dream of
becoming a doctor. Graduating Summa Cum Laude
with a bachelor’s degree in Biology enabled me to
secure paid internship opportunities, leadership
roles, and positions working with research pioneers,
which are all vital to become a well-rounded
compassionate physician. Most importantly, my
experience empowered me to advocate for myself
and recognize the undeniable power of storytelling
as an act of service and sympathy. Now, I am in the
process of applying to medical schools and eager to
continue working with marginalized communities.”
-Yara, College Track New Orleans,
B.S., Florida Atlantic University 2019
With more than 600 college graduates in our alumni
network and survey response rates (see Appendix A),
we are in a strong position to examine the relationship
between a four-year college degree and life outcomes,
including professional success, financial sustainability,
civic purpose, and personal fulfillment. This report
answers four key questions, including:
•   Is higher education a powerful tool for young
people to embark on a life with more choice and
financial security than their parents?
•   What additional experiences in college yield
successful employment outcomes and contribute
to solid career growth?
•   Broader than social mobility, do our graduates
have opportunity, choice, and power in their
lives?
•   How can we leverage our growing alumni
network to positively impact the post-college
outcomes of College Track students?
Building on last year’s report, we continue to examine
both absolute and relative measures of social mobility
for our alumni both right out of college and several
years after graduation.
College Track
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