Our Impact

BridgeYear programs create life-changing opportunities for underserved youth who are looking for non-four-year degree pathways after high school. These programs have received great feedback and we continue to track real progress toward achieving our mission.  

BridgeYear Student Demographics

In the 2021-2022 school year, BridgeYear served over 7,000 students in the Greater Houston area. Our Career Test Drive® experiences, Advising services, and MorePathways.org have helped students build career awareness, form career identities, and mitigate enrollment barriers to postsecondary success.

1 %

of our students identify as Black and/or Hispanic and/or Latino

1 %

of our K-12 partners are Title 1 schools

1 %

of our students identify as female

2021-2022 Service Areas

BridgeYear provided 41 Career Test Drive® experiences across the Greater Houston community, serving schools and community-based organizations target underserved populations.

Our Impact in 2021-22

BridgeYear works to give all students, not just the top performers, the resources they need to have a successful future. From our hands-on career simulations at our Career Test Drive® Fairs to our Advising services, and our new public database, MorePathways.org, we strive to inspire students to consider career options they may not have known about.

86% of students

stated that they have a better understanding of their career interests after participating in a Career Test Drive® experience.

163 Class of 2022 Houston ISD Graduates

were selected to receive the BridgeYear-HISD $500 scholarship to pursue an education at Houston Community College. The scholarship was applicable for an associate's degree, certificate, or continuing education program.

200 training programs

posted to MorePathways website, featuring careers in the following fields: construction, education and health services, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, oil and gas, information technology, professional and business services, trade, utilities, and transportation.

Our Theory of Change

With programming grounded in the Social Cognitive Career Theory and the Expectancy-Value Theory, BridgeYear puts students on a path to economic mobility by providing them with the knowledge, belief, and access required for success. 

By partnering with employers, career education programs, and community college programs to connect students to pathways requiring less than a four-year degree, we work to ensure that students’ socioeconomic backgrounds do not limit their financial goals.

When students...

KNOW

about career
opportunities that
pay above living wage

BELIEVE

those career
opportunities are
within their reach

ACCESS

training & educational programs needed to
start those careers

Then...

They are able to become

Economically stable and independent

From the Mouths of our Teachers and Students

Students had a great time... You've helped them realize they don't have to go to a university in order to develop a career (and) how high school is just a step to getting to do what they want to... (They) are more motivated to succeed here. Your staff is amazing with students... keeping them engaged, answering questions, and helping their self-esteem rise.
Sheryl Valdez
Columbia High School Staff
I am interested in being an EMT so I chose this station because it deals with medical needs that I would need to be aware of. This experience is proving to me that I am not grossed out by bodily fluids and could really help a patient in need!
Student from Northside HS
Career Test Drive® Fair