{"id":28254,"date":"2017-09-14T16:05:37","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T20:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/creator\/?p=28254"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:28:11","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:28:11","slug":"at-project-access-making-sure-everyone-can-get-to-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/member-spotlight\/at-project-access-making-sure-everyone-can-get-to-university","title":{"rendered":"At Project Access, making sure everyone can get to university"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anna Gross had no plans to attend Oxford University. But a chance meeting with a fellow student convinced her that she should follow her dream of studying history. \u201cI told her that I was going to study law, which was the safe choice,\u201d says Gross. \u201cBut she heard me talk about history and could clearly see that was where my passion was.\u201d Gross is certain that the advice changed her life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to Oxford, when Gross was talking with other international students. They all had one thing in common: a mentor who had pushed them to pursue their dreams. That conversation led to the creation of the London-based <\/span>Project Access<\/span><\/a>, a nonprofit startup that works to level the playing field of university admissions, with a particular focus on top-tier schools. The way they accomplish this goal is matching students with mentors in their area of interest. Right now, Project Access has more than 2,000 of these volunteers encouraging students to accomplish more than they ever thought possible. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We think college should be a place for those who are most passionate about learning, not just for those from certain backgrounds.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At first, the focus was other international students\u2014Gross says friends from Singapore, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and other countries approached them for help\u2014but it eventually changed to students from underprivileged families. \u201cExisting programs don\u2019t have the capacity to get everyone the help they need,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s where we come in.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program has been extraordinarily successful, racking up a <\/span>$72,000 prize<\/span><\/a> at this year\u2019s London <\/span>Creator Awards<\/span><\/a>. This year it\u2019s expanding to 57,000 schools in the U.S., giving it the potential to touch the lives of 15 million young people. The member at London’s <\/span>WeWork Aldgate Tower<\/span><\/a> says that along with three full-time staff members, Project Access is assisted by a team of 130 volunteers. That, she says, is the power behind the organization. \u201cWe\u2019re really overwhelmed by the enthusiasm,\u201d she says. \u201cIt keeps us moving forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anna Gross had no plans to attend Oxford University. But a chance meeting with a fellow student convinced her that she should follow her dream of studying history. \u201cI told her that I was going to study law, which was the safe choice,\u201d says Gross. \u201cBut she heard me talk about history and could clearly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":895,"featured_media":28273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43903,43911],"tags":[1484,30177],"class_list":["post-28254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-stories","category-member-spotlight","tag-emea","tag-creator"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAt Project Access, making sure everyone can get to university<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Project Access is a nonprofit that works to level the playing field of top-tier university admissions. 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