WESTFIELD, PLAINFIELD and PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY – May 18, 2026

The New Jersey non-profit organization, More Than Bootstraps (MTB), celebrated the graduation of our fifth cohort of High Schools Fellows with a Graduation and College Signing Day event hosted by Passaic County Community College (PCCC) and Patricia Medeiros, Associate Vice President, at PCCC. 

MTB received financial support for the event from the TD Bank Community Sponsorship Program. We are grateful to Ivett Tejada, Passaic TD Store Manager, for her partnership.

Students and families in MTB gathered to celebrate the 13 graduating high school seniors in the Passaic Public Schools who will soon be embarking on the next stage of their journey as first-generation college students and the two college students who have completed their bachelor’s degrees.

Over the last two years, the high school students have been mentored by their older peers, College Student Leaders from Passaic, who are currently enrolled in college. With the help of their Passaic “near-peer” mentors, these thirteen graduating Fellows gained confidence, communication, and leadership skills; navigated the world of college applications, financial aid, and scholarships; and communicated their goals to their families.

MTB also celebrated the college graduations of two College Student Leaders: 

MTB congratulates everyone on the hard work that has culminated in these impressive college commitments.

This year’s celebration featured words of wisdom delivered by keynote speaker Joleen Rivera, Senior Manager on Amazon Web Services’ Americas Public Policy team.

More Than Bootstraps also congratulates the families of our graduates, who stand behind the success of these ambitious, talented young people. 

MTB 2026 Graduates (not pictured Jonathan, Pablo, and Manan)

“National statistics from The Pell Institute indicate that only 11% of first-generation, low-income students who enroll in college earn a degree after six years,” noted Audrey Fisch, president of More Than Bootstraps. This year's MTB college graduates both completed their bachelor’s degrees in three and a half years. Ashley joined MTB in the first cohort of High School Fellows. She and Manan led MTB this year as Program Resource Fellows, and both are already working full-time. “Their success," remarked Fisch, "demonstrates the power of near-peer mentoring for both our mentors and mentees.”

“We are grateful to PCCC for their extraordinary hospitality,” said Fisch, “and thankful to Amanda Racanati and Mint Sprig Décor for the wonderful decorations that made our College Signing Day special.”

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