🎓 Caps off to the Class of 2026

JUNE 17, 2026

Across the country, more than 500 select students at 47 of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities are Strada Scholars.

And this spring, 108 of these students earned a college degree.
As an organization, Strada drives systems-level change aimed at better connecting postsecondary education and economic opportunity through policy reform, grantmaking to support promising solutions, and extensive research.

But the Strada HBCU Initiative takes a different approach, focusing on what research shows increases an individual’s ability to thrive in the workforce:

Quality education-to-career guidance to ensure more students receive timely labor market information, personalized guidance, and support in overcoming obstacles.
Paid work-based learning opportunities to improve their chances of earning a job that requires a college degree.
Scholarships to help Strada Scholars complete their degrees.

“We celebrate the graduation of the second cohort of Strada Scholars and congratulate them for their hard work,” said Daryl Graham, Strada senior vice president of HBCU and engagement. “These new graduates are equipped with vital leadership skills and practical experience, ready to launch their careers or pursue graduate studies. Together with their colleges and universities, we will continue to cheer on their success.”

Read more

Where we focus

Clear Outcomes | Quality Coaching | Affordability |

Work-Based Learning | Employer Alignment

Go to college, get a good job, strengthen your community, pass it on — it works for many, but not enough. State leaders feel the urgent need for solutions that ensure strong connections between education after high school and economic opportunity for every student, especially those who face the greatest barriers.

Join Strada Education Foundation and the community of national and state leaders actively building solutions that close the gaps between classrooms and careers for a webinar from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 24.

In light of what the State Opportunity Index reveals about progress in individual states and nationally, panelists will highlight practical strategies that all who seek to connect education to opportunity can apply to their work. The discussion also will include an insider's view into how the cross-sector leaders in Louisiana are bringing their aspirations for education and workforce alignment to life through a combination of partnerships, programs, and legislation.

Moderator

Ruth Watkins
President of postsecondary education,

Strada Education Foundation

Panelists

Rick Edmonds
State senator,

Louisiana

Barry Erwin
Chief policy officer,

Leaders for a Better Louisiana

Kim Hunter Reed
Commissioner of Higher Education,

Louisiana

Ted Mitchell
President,

American Council on Education

Register to attend

News from Strada

WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Join Strada’s Justin Draeger for a webinar discussion that explores how undergraduates are thinking about the return on their college experience — academically, financially, as individuals, and in preparation for life after graduation.

COLLEGE COSTS: National higher education leaders joined Strada for a webinar conversation about how confusion surrounding college pricing is eroding student and family trust in higher education, and a recording is now available. The conversation also delved into the new Student-Centered Enrollment Management Principles, endorsed by more than 20 higher education associations, student groups, and research organizations.

ENTRY-LEVEL HIRING: Artificial intelligence is moving fast, and entry-level jobs — the traditional first step on the career ladder — are changing right along with it. In this webinar, an expert panel unpacked Strada Institute for the Future of Work’s latest employer survey report, "Entry-Level Hiring in the AI Era: What Employers Are Thinking (and Doing)."