{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Pitch Playground","title":"Why College Isn’t the Only Option: How Victoria Chen’s BridgeYear Transforms Career Pathways","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1865,"description":"What are the options after high school for non-college bound students? Victoria Chen, a former high school biology teacher, founded BridgeYear, a Houston based nonprofit, to address gaps in the education system that fail to provide non-college-bound students with viable career options. As a teacher, Victoria witnessed a valedictorian abandon a full scholarship due to family issues and end up working as a cashier.  BridgeYear offers a hands-on career exploration for high-demand well paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree.  \nBridgeyear’s flagship program is the Career Test Drive, where students walk into school one day and find their gymnasium completely transformed.  Different booths are set up where students can test drive different careers that don’t require a four year degree. Careers such as being an electrician, an auto tech or a surgical technologist.  As Victoria says, you should never buy a car without test driving it, and you should never choose a career without giving it a try either. \nRight now, Victoria is at a pivotal moment with BridgeYear.  As she works to scale she’s also developed morepathways.org, a tech platform that can connect students with vetted workforce training programs. She has the opportunity to pitch morepathways.org to New Profit’s Molly O’Donnell.  Molly is a venture philanthropist that invests in social entrepreneurs working to transform education. They dive into how Victoria can balance the organizations direct service work, as they scale for widespread impact. \n02:06 Victoria's Journey: From Teacher to Founder03:04 The Reality of Student Challenges08:17 The Birth of BridgeYear09:07 BridgeYear's Career Test Drive Program13:35 Impact on Student’s 17:18 Scaling Up: The Tech Platform MorePathways.org19:56 Introducing Molly O’Donnell23:27 Trade-Off’s: Direct Service and Widespread Impact24:54 Impact Jenga 29:01 Final Takeaways \nLinks: Victoria ChenBridgeyear.org Morepathways.orgMolly O’DonnellNew Profit \nAbout the Host,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/RHUvVCiJgJMSGBHcrSAokswObgokSFYeF2yzaGy3ask/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80M2Mx/ZmU1NGI4NDhiZDFh/NmM3NjhmMjlhYzY0/MWE2OC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}