Masters of Scale

QuestBridge: Scaling College Access with Ana Rowena Mallari

May 30, 2024

Ana Rowena Mallari, Co-founder and CEO of QuestBridge, dives into the transformative mission of her non-profit that connects low-income students with elite colleges. She shares inspiring success stories, including a former QuestBridge scholar's journey to MIT. Mallari discusses the evolution of college access efforts, detailing innovative strategies that have provided $5 billion in scholarships. The conversation highlights the importance of community support, empathy, and the organization's outreach in empowering bright minds to achieve their dreams.

34:35

Episode guests

Ana Rowena Mallari

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

QuestBridge matches high potential students with full funding from top-tier colleges, fostering $5 billion in scholarships and helping 100,000 students.

Transforming from a local summer program to a national platform, QuestBridge partners with over 50 schools to create lasting impacts on underprivileged students.

By showcasing the value and potential of scholars, QuestBridge convinces colleges to offer full scholarships, reshaping higher education admissions approaches.

Deep dives

Masters of Scale Summit Opportunity for Early Stage Founders

Early stage founders are invited to apply for the Masters of Scale Summit, supported by Capital One Business, covering registration and accommodation fees for 40 innovative founders with less than $20 million in funding. The event promises inspiring speakers and networking opportunities. The deadline to apply is June 5th at 11.59 p.m. Eastern. Questbridge Scholarships: Entrepreneur Cody Coleman recounts his journey from a low-income background to becoming a Questbridge Scholar. The program covered his college expenses, leading him to MIT and a successful career in computer science. The transformative impact of programs like Questbridge highlights the power of creating opportunities for underprivileged students.

Intro

2min

From Humble Beginnings to MIT

6min

Navigating Pivotal Decisions and Educational Access

3min

Empowering Dreams: The Birth of College Access Programs

8min

Transforming College Access through Outreach

7min

Transforming Access Through QuestBridge

10min

Uniting Through Shared Experiences

6min

Imagine all the highly motivated, high-achieving students who can excel at the most challenging colleges but lack the financial resources to attend. Matching this type of talent with full funding from top-tier schools is the mission of QuestBridge. CEO Ana Rowena Mallari recounts the organization’s 30-year scale journey, during which the program has fostered $5 billion in scholarships and helped 100,000 students. Co-founded by Mallari and Michael McCullough as a summer program at Stanford, QuestBridge now partners with more than 50 schools, transforming how colleges across the U.S. evaluate and admit their incoming classes.

Synthetic voiceover of Reid Hoffman used in this episode was produced by Respeecher with full consent and permission.

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Masters of Scale

QuestBridge: Scaling College Access with Ana Rowena Mallari

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Masters of Scale Summit Opportunity for Early Stage Founders

The Evolution of Questbridge: Fostering Higher Education Opportunities

Building Trust and Partnerships to Facilitate Free College Education

The Network Effect and Career Empowerment through Questbridge

Mastering Growth Through Mission Clarity and Scale Impact

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts