Career Readiness Cohort

The Career Readiness Cohort is the second stage of Raise The Barr’s five-year cycle of support for single-parent students. 

Once RTB scholars have completed the Academic Success Cohort and transferred to their desired four-year institutions*, they participate in two years of programming that emphasize career exploration and professional development. In this cohort, they have more flexibility to choose workshops and activities that align with their goals and interests.

*Institutions must be in the California and Minnesota counties where we work: Los Angeles, Orange, and Yolo, California; Hennepin, Dakota, and Ramsey, Minnesota.

As we transition to this cycle in 2025, single parents who participated in our 2024 scholarship cohort will be invited to join this program.

Services

Core (required) cohort programming:

  • Stipend to support housing, basic needs, and educational expenses

  • One-on-one coaching in the following areas:

    • Financial literacy

    • Academic success 

    • Career readiness 

    • Family wellness 

  • Workshops* to help scholars develop skills in financial empowerment, parenting, time management, career readiness, and professional networking.

Additional resources:

  • Emergency Grant Fund* supports single-parent students with up to $1,000 emergency funding for one-time unexpected emergencies such as urgent dental work or travel due to illness of a family member

  • Little Scholars Enrichment Fund* supports extra-curricular pursuits of children living at The Huddle, as well as other children of single-parent students,

  • Office Hours with RTB coordinators to offer guidance

  • Peer mentorship for guidance and community-building

*These programs are also available to eligible single-parent student families who do not participate in our cohorts.

ELIGIBILITY:

In Fall 2025, participation in this cohort is limited to single-parent students who have participated in our Academic Success Cohort and transferred into 4-year programs in one of the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, or Yolo, California; or Hennepin, Dakota, or Ramsey, Minnesota.

Career Readiness Cohort FAQs

  • To be eligible for this cohort, single-parent students must participate in our Academic Success Cohort. 

  • No; to participate in this cohort, scholars must remain enrolled in an academic institution in the California and Minnesota counties where we work: Los Angeles, Orange, and Yolo, California; Hennepin, Dakota, and Ramsey, Minnesota.