22. It's Not Who You Know. It's Who Knows You

Sheila Sarem is the CEO and founder of Project Basta - an organization that builds the social capital of first generation graduates of color. Sheila argues that degrees aren’t translating into good first jobs for some because of a gap in social capital - the invisible networks, information, and informal coaching that some students have access to and that others don’t, depending on their background. It’s often the missing piece, including the ‘it’s not who you know but who knows you’ part of it, that helps kick start a career.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.