College students in 2025 bear little resemblance to the traditional 18-22-year-old residential students American postsecondary education systems were designed to serve. Today’s learners are students who hold multiple identities including working adults, student parents, first-generation students, currently and formerly incarcerated students, English language learners, and others who face unique challenges in completing degrees. These students represent the future of postsecondary education and workforce development, yet our systems often fail to meet their complex needs.
On April 17th, 2025 AFN held a webinar exploring who today’s learners are and why their success matters, not only for them and their families, but for all of us. Together we will examined how different philanthropic sectors are poised to support learners and the intersecting challenges they face.
Whether you fund workforce initiatives, social determinants of health, financial wellbeing, or another intersecting area, this conversation provided fresh insights into how your grantmaking can better support successful tomorrows for this critical population.
Speakers
Ireri Rivas Mier Y Teran, Program Officer, ECMC Foundation
Georgia Reagan, Strategy Officer, Lumina Foundation
Katherine McKay, Associate Director, Insights and Evidence, Financial Security Program, Aspen Institute
Barbara Ankamah Burford, Moderator, Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Impact, Wells Fargo
