Image by Celia Hoffman This spring, UMass Lowell added a new career-connected program to its arsenal through its partnership with the national nonprofit, Braven. Headquartered in Chicago with programming at 11 higher education institutions nationwide, Braven helps students build the skills, professional network, and experience to flourish in their post-college careers or in graduate school.
Braven has worked with more than 14,500 students at universities across the country. UMass Lowell is the first university it is partnering with in New England.
In collaboration with the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Braven began offering a three-credit career-accelerator course this semester in which students create a professional portfolio that includes a resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. They also practice interviewing skills and work on a capstone project in which they develop collaboration, presentation and communication skills.
“Braven is the antidote to students’ concerns about being able to find a career,” says Professor Diana Archibald, a member of the English Department faculty who oversees the Braven course in her role as director of UML’s Transformative Internships and Engagement Hub.
Image by courtesy Braven and UMass Lowell recently celebrated their new partnership at the UMass Club in Boston.
“UMass Lowell is deeply committed to ensuring that each of our undergraduate students has the opportunity to participate in at least one high-quality, career-connected experience by the time they graduate,” says Chancellor Julie Chen. “We are always looking for new ways to expand access to these internships, fellowships and other opportunities, and our partnership with Braven greatly enhances the portfolio of options.”
In addition to the career-accelerator class, the Braven program offers students help landing internships and career coaching from a network of volunteers, many of them UMass Lowell alumni.
This semester, about 50 students are enrolled in the Braven class. So far, they are enthusiastic about what they are learning.
“I like how the Braven course takes things that seem really complicated, like resumes, cover letters (and) job interviews, and it really gives you a formula. They make things a lot less frightening,” says Jordan Jasmin, a senior English major with a concentration in creative writing.
“The Braven course is not like any of my other classes; it's very unique,” says Sylve Kins, a freshman in the Bachelor of Liberal Arts program with concentrations in legal studies and psychology.
The class, which meets weekly, satisfies a career-connected experience requirement within FAHSS. The students are organized into cohorts of six to eight people, with each group supported by a leadership coach.
After completing the course, students receive ongoing support, including opportunities for professional mentorship, networking and access to an online career community hub that shares information on jobs, internships and events.
Image by Celia Hoffman With the Braven course, junior Edwin Arroyo has built on skills he gained while interning in the Athletics Department.
“UML continues to be a trailblazer in many ways and has always been extremely innovative,” he says.
Sança says students who participate in Braven’s programs have higher rates of success at landing strong jobs upon graduation than their peers.
“Within six months of graduation, 61% of Braven’s 2024 graduates secured quality full-time jobs worthy of their bachelor’s degree or enrolled in graduate school, compared to 48% of graduates nationally with a bachelor’s degree. 84% of graduates are employed overall,” he says.
Like Sança, several UMass Lowell alumni have found their way back to the university as employees of the organization or as Braven volunteers.
Fajr Zahid ’25, who majored in public health, works as Braven’s recruitment associate on UMass Lowell’s campus. Her connection to the university makes her feel passionate about her role.
“The Braven course truly is like a launchpad for your career, as you’re able to build career readiness into your college journey,” says Zahid, who notes that registration is open for the Fall 2026 semester.
Image by Celia Hoffman Freshman Sylve Kins feels the Braven course is very unique and has found a network that will continue to support her after graduation.
“You feel like you're getting one-on-one training, and we really support each other,” says Arroyo, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with concentrations in health and psychology.
Volunteer leadership coaches Duey Kol ’08 and Natalia Gonzalez ’22 have found that getting involved in the Braven program is a great way to give back to the university that has given them so much. To prepare for their roles, they received extensive training from Braven.
“Braven is about unlocking that potential that the students already have. We're honestly learning and growing with the students,” says Gonzalez, who double-majored in criminal justice and English.
Kol, who earned a master’s degree in community and social psychology and serves on the FAHSS Advisory Board, likes to see how her students jump at opportunities to take on leadership roles and assume responsibility. It is clear to Kol that they are serious about their future.
“I continue to be impressed by the resilience of UMass Lowell students. It reminds me so much of who I am and the community that I want to be a part of,” she says.
The course culminates in the Capstone Challenge, in which students pitch problem-solving ideas to partner organizations. This year, Braven’s lead capstone partner is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, which is headquartered in Boston. The students are presented with a real-world problem, and they collaborate with their cohort group to come up with solutions. The winners and runners-up of the challenge will get the opportunity to interview for a summer internship with Berkshire Hathaway.
Jasmin says the experience of problem-solving, collaborating and effectively communicating ideas is preparing her for the job market.
“I believe the capstone is going to help with presenting to future employers, and how to take our ideas and make them into something real, cohesive and concise,” she says.