WESTFIELD, PASSAIC, and PLAINFIELD NEW JERSEY – September 3, 2026

More Than Bootstraps (MTB), a New Jersey non-profit organization, announces that 9 college students from Passaic and 5 college students from Plainfield have been selected for and completed leadership training with MTB. These ambitious and talented first-generation college students will serve as College Student Leaders, mentoring their younger peers -- high school juniors in the Passaic or Plainfield Public Schools – over the next two years, as their mentees work to achieve their higher education goals.

New MTB Passaic College Student Leaders for the 2026-2027 academic year:

Andrea

Ramapo College

Juan

NJIT

Xzavier

Ramapo College

Dhruvi

Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Kaylee

Ramapo College

Yalmary

Passaic County Community College

Guadalupe

NJIT

Pearl

Seton Hall University

Yasmel

Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Returning Passaic College Student Leaders:

Abigail

Passaic County Community College

Alison

Montclair State University

Alex

Rutgers University

Anyelo

Stevens University

Alexa

Montclair State University

Ashley A.

Cornell University

Ashley R.

Vassar College

Disha

Stevens University

Germallery

Montclair State University

Jackie

Wellesley College

Jasmin

Passaic County Community College

Kelmys

Duke University

Rachel

Monmouth University

Yimardy

Rutgers University

In September, following a semester and a summer of training, 5 Plainfield College Student Leaders will join their Passaic peers and launch MTB's program in Plainfield.

Adja

Kean University

Fernando

Kean University

Jess

Union College

Kalista

Rider University

Nikitha

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Also taking on new leadership positions are Nelsie Abreu (Montclair State University '27), Sherly Luna (Drew University '27), and Parth Rana (Princeton University '27). These three outstanding College Student Leaders will serve as Passaic Program Resource Fellows. This summer, they led the MTB Summer Training Program for College Student Leaders and the MTB Summer Program for rising senior High School Fellows. As rising college seniors, they will continue to take on new responsibilities within MTB over the upcoming academic year.

Ayana Goodwin, MSW (Montclair, MSEd '27) will be serving as Plainfield Program Resource Fellow, leading the new program in Plainfield.

Joanny Iniguez, LSW, will serve as Program Resource Fellow overseeing MTB's wellness initiatives.

Now beginning its seventh year of programming in Passaic and its first full year in Plainfield, MTB employs a near-peer mentoring approach to address the challenges first-generation, low-income students face in accessing and succeeding in higher education. Working with underrepresented students in Passaic and Plainfield, the organization matches high school students with near-peer mentors – graduates of the Passaic or Plainfield Public Schools currently enrolled in institutions from Wellesley College to William Paterson University. Led by their college student mentors, MTB High School Fellows follow a curriculum that focuses on education about higher education and financial aid, communication with families, holistic student development, and the promotion of student well-being and agency.

Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities.

“As our program matures, more and more of our students are transitioning from High School Fellows to College Student Leaders and then Program Resource Fellows,” said Audrey Fisch, president of More Than Bootstraps. “They own the mission and programming in a way that only past participants can. It’s thrilling to see them grow the program while developing their leadership skills, and their success is a testament to our student-centered and student-led model.”

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Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities. Interested donors are invited to visit the MTB website: www.morethanbootstraps.org/donate.

More Than Bootstraps is a nonprofit created by educators seeking to level the playing field and remove some of the substantial barriers that first-generation college students encounter in accessing and succeeding in higher education. More Than Bootstraps employs a near-peer mentoring model to create a community of success. College students from the community return to guide their younger peers in the community through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a mentoring cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.

Students are selected based on their desire to attend college and their commitment to the program rather than grade point average or test scores. All students in the MTB program receive stipends, laptop computers, and access to emergency resources to help them with the many non-tuition expenses of higher education. 

More Than Bootstraps is a 501(c)3 organization, Tax ID 83-2245008.

Media Contact:

Audrey Fisch, Ph.D.

President, More Than Bootstraps

(908) 397-0893

audrey@morethanbootstraps.org