From the first campus visit to the first day of medical or law school — NEP walks with students every step of the way. Community-grounded. Strategically designed. Built for students at large universities.
This is where the most important decisions are made — and where most families are left completely on their own. NEP changes that. We work with students and families before May 1st, the National Decision Deadline, to make sure every choice is informed, intentional, and financially sound.
Every student deserves a college that fits — not just academically, but in every dimension that shapes their daily life. We evaluate each school under consideration through four lenses of fit, so students arrive at the right institution with their eyes open.
Beginning in June — after the decision is made and before the first day of class — this arc does the work that no orientation program will ever do. It grounds students in who they are before the institution has a chance to tell them who to be.
A community-based college transition program · June 2026 Inaugural Cohorts
"Your application did not give you admittance. Your bloodline did — long ago."
The Sankofa Fellowship does not teach students to merely survive unfamiliar spaces. It teaches them to enter those spaces already knowing who they are — ancestrally, academically, and communally.
The community provides the covenant. NEP provides the curriculum. The student provides the future.
This is the arc that the classroom will never teach and the dormitory will never deliver. Students in the thick of college life need guidance that lives between those two spaces — and NEP is exactly that.
In the second year, students enter the Beyond the Degree Experience Network — a transformative experiential journey that takes learning beyond the classroom and into the professional world.
Beginning in junior year, this arc prepares students to step fully into their professional identity. This is the arc of becoming — deliberate, strategic, and grounded in legacy. Pre-med and pre-law students only.
One of the most powerful things NEP teaches in this arc is that the people who support your professional journey play distinct roles — and knowing the difference between them, and when to engage each, is itself a professional skill.
Once students begin medical or law school, NEP's support continues at full intensity:
Universities and educational institutions carry a responsibility to strengthen their systems so they genuinely support the academic success and retention of first-generation students. NEP stands ready to help institutions meet that responsibility with evidence-based frameworks and measurable student outcomes.
Kris Coleman is available for public engagements that educate, inspire, and move audiences toward action on behalf of first-generation students.
Whether you're a family navigating the pre-enrollment process, a student already on campus, or a church or institution looking to partner — we want to hear from you.