The Opportunity Network

Save the date! ✨ On Thursday, May 15, OppNet and friends will gather for our annual Night of Opportunity Gala, celebrating the achievements of our community members while raising critical funds to support our work. This year’s Gala will take place at The Pier Sixty Collection, overlooking New York's Hudson River. In the lead up to the Gala, we will highlight each of our esteemed honorees and share more about their work and impact — stay tuned! To purchase tickets for the 2025 Night of Opportunity, you can visit: https://lnkd.in/g4f6k6-g We look forward to celebrating with you! #NightOfOpportunity2025

We’re proud to be part of Blue Owl Capital's annual Season of Service! Last month, Blue Owl volunteers showed up in full force to support our 11th-grade Fellows with a series of mock interviews — helping them build confidence, refine their skills, and prepare for real-world opportunities. Huge thanks to Blue Owl for investing in our students’ futures and kicking off their Season of Service by lifting up the next generation of leaders. We’re excited to keep the momentum going! 

OppNet’s own Chelsea Frosini, Director of Programs, recently spoke on a panel at Change Impact’s Winter Salon supported by the Solon E Summerfield Foundation. The Salon was a forum to engage leaders of community-based organizations in discussion on advancing equity within their work. In her panel, “Advancing Equity in Programs,” Chelsea and her co-panelists addressed a number of concerns particular to this political moment, including what programs staff might do differently under a changing federal context and social narrative, as well as how teams can hold one another accountable for ensuring spaces are truly inclusive. We’re grateful for Change Impact and Summerfield for creating spaces to have these important conversations! 

A big congratulations from OppNet to our own Kelley Zhou, Curriculum and Facilitation Coordinator! Kelley recently completed the Partnership for After School Education (PASE) 'Emerging Leaders Program,' a The City University of New York-affiliated course on nonprofit leadership for professionals working in youth programming. Kelley’s culminating project addressed crisis management at nonprofits and how youth programming organizations can best respond to unforeseen events. OppNet is proud to work with Kelley and all our intrepid staff who embody what it means to be a lifelong learner. 🌟 . . . . . . . . #PASEemergingleaders #nonprofitleadership

🌟 Pivot or Persevere? Cultivating Career Success in 2025! 🌟 I had the opportunity to engage in the MOCAN x OppNet Workshop | Pivot or Persevere: Cultivating Curiosity in Pursuit of Career Success, a powerful session on career alignment, resilience, and navigating change. Some of my key takeaways and learnings include: 🔹 Career Alignment = Passions + Values + Skills 🔹 Pivot or Persevere? Ask yourself: 1. Have I faced this challenge before? 2. Are there other passions I could explore? 3. What happens if I don’t make a change? 🔹 Imposter Syndrome is real! Combat it by normalizing feelings, asset mapping, and building a support network. During the session, facilitators Cherelle Washington, M.Ed. Jessica Brady and Emily Chow shared insights from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, noting that as of December 2024, the national unemployment rate was 4.0%, and there were 7.6 million job openings across the country. These numbers reinforce the importance of equipping students and professionals with the tools to navigate career transitions effectively. Organizations like The Opportunity Network and Missouri College & Career Attainment Network are leading the charge in providing career readiness resources. 📢 Explore how these organizations are making an impact by visiting their websites! https://lnkd.in/gwE_6r7B https://lnkd.in/gtEvcvA2 #BEEReady #CareerSuccess #PivotOrPersevere #CareerAlignment #GrowthMindset #WorkforceDevelopment

In February, five OppNet Fellows and seven staff members attended ten meetings with New York state legislators as part of a series of Legislative Advocacy Days organized by the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC). As part of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, NYSACAC members are a community of admissions and counseling professionals working together for the common goal of helping students achieve postsecondary success. Our stellar OppNet representatives traveled to Albany to advocate for NYSACAC’s legislative agenda focused on increased access to financial aid, opportunity programs, and as well as food, housing, and mental health support for college students. We’re excited to continue collaborating with our peers to support educational equity!

A huge shoutout to the incredible volunteers who joined us for our 11th-grade Mock Interviews this week! Thanks to your time, expertise, and thoughtful feedback, our Fellows had the chance to practice answering common interview questions, refine their storytelling, and receive real-time guidance — building the confidence and skills they need to shine in future opportunities. Special thanks to Blue Owl Capital for generously hosting us! Your support helps create spaces where our Fellows can grow their professional readiness and put their skills into action. Interested in volunteering with OppNet? Join us for our 12th-grade Speed Networking and Mock Interviews next week! Register here: https://lnkd.in/eGH7XZ5R

#ThrowbackThursday! We kicked off 2025 with an impactful Job Shadow Day with our partners at Coach Foundation and Tapestry. OppNet Fellows who have been part of Coach Foundation's Dream it Real Program for the last 4 years got to meet mentors in person, get tangible personal and professional advice, and explore a day in the life at the company. In particular, Fellows heard a powerful talk from Tapestry's VP of HR, Carmen Arocho-Blanco, who shared her career journey. Carmen highlighted how “even in the highest levels of leadership, your job is a job of service.” She shared that career paths aren’t always linear and that in fact the twists and turns on our journeys are actually blessings in disguise: “Sometimes learning what you don’t want to do is just as important as learning what you do want to do.” Thank you to Carmen and our partners at Tapestry and the Coach Foundation for such an enjoyable and enriching Job Shadow Day! #coachfoundation #careerjourney #jobshadowing #humanresources #HR

OppNet is #hiring! We're looking for highly motivated, service-minded team players to join our dynamic organization and support student success. Visit https://lnkd.in/ds-Mw7t to learn more and apply.

Have you signed up for a March #volunteer event with OppNet yet? Our Fellows are continuing to refine their skills, focusing on honing their interview and networking skills, and we hope you can join us. For our 11th Grade Mock Interview Workshops, volunteers work with our 11th grade Fellows to further develop our students' interview skills. Our team will facilitate rotations and provide a sample interview question for volunteers and students to practice during each round. Thank you to Blue Owl Capital for hosting these workshops for the OppNet community.  During our signature combination 12th Grade Speed Networking & Mock Interview Workshops, volunteers work 1:1 or in small groups with students, supporting our 12th grade Fellows in further advancing their networking and interview skills. For each round, OppNet will provide a networking prompt or sample interview question for students to practice with you. We're hoping to pack the room for these dynamic events, so feel free to extend an invitation to any interested friends/coworkers/members of your networks! Sign up to volunteer: https://lnkd.in/emsScFXc https://lnkd.in/eGH7XZ5R