OUR PROBLEM
The U.S. military lacks diverse representation of African American and Hispanic officers in its senior ranks.
As the country diversifies, it is more important than ever to eliminate any barriers for those who wish to serve.
12.47%
Out of 377 general officers in the army, Hispanics comprise just five general officers (1.33%) and African Americans forty-two general officers (11.14%). Both groups combined represent less than 13 percent of the senior leadership in the U.S Army alone, while an estimated 31 percent of the American civilian population is African American or Hispanic. - As of 2017
3,289
Of West Point’s 78,500 graduates, only 3,289 are African American. The total number of African American graduates did not exceed one thousand until the 1990s. This gap represents a lack of representation at our Service Academies and officer corps that has lasted generations. - As of May 2020
216
U.S Service Academies rely heavily on standardized test scores to determine the suitability of potential applicants. Historically, however, African American and Hispanic students do not perform as well on these tests because they are often unable to afford expensive test preparation courses attended by more affluent students.
During the 2017 West Point admission cycle, 138 otherwise qualified African American applicants and 78 otherwise qualified Hispanic applicants were not able to move forward in the admission process due to standardized test scores.
Our vision
A MORE DIVERSE
UNIFORMED SERVICE
Collaborate and Graduate provides minority cadet candidates to U.S. Service Academies with financial assistance for SAT and ACT test preparation tutoring and fees.
In helping these applicants strengthen their academic profiles and gain admission to the U.S. Service Academies, Collaborate and Graduate helps to build a more diverse military officer corps—enhancing our nation’s security and opening doors of opportunity.
ZORIAN’S STORY
Zorian Flowers was a well-known student leader at his Chicago high school. However, his ACT scores did not mirror his strong academic profile, nor his leadership potential.
When a family crisis made it impossible to secure the funds necessary to prepare for or re-take the test without assistance, Collaborate and Graduate co-founder Timothy Berry provided the financial assistance and support necessary for Zorian to re-take the ACT and gain admission to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School.
“Last year when I lost my brother, I was still trying to push through and go to school because I knew my goal was to get to West Point.”
— Cadet Candidate Zorian Flowers
OUR SERVICES
Tutoring
Collaborate and Graduate seeks to eliminate the financial barriers for African American and Hispanic applicants by subsidizing test preparation services and fees. With the preparation to succeed on the SAT and ACT, these applicants boast stronger academic profiles to complement their leadership and extracurricular activities.
Continued Financial Support
Collaborate and Graduate accepts current service academy applicants who are seeking financial support for test preparation improvement. Collaborate and Graduate works with each student to facilitate his or her transportation to/from the test preparation facility whether online or in-person, sponsor a healthy meal during each class, and provide a stipend to compensate students for missed work opportunities. Each student also receives a prepaid debit card for meals and access to Collaborate and Graduate’s Uber account to guarantee safe transportation to classes.
Participating Institutions
