Our Impact
high school graduation rate
100%
college enrollment
99%
of alumni earn a college degree within six years of high school graduation
74%
program alumni
345
current College Bound Program students
235
100% of NJ LEEP students graduate high school; 99% of them enroll in college and 74% of NJ LEEP alumni have graduated from college within six years of high school graduation.
The long-term personal financial and community effects of enrolling in and completing post-secondary education are significant, as is the ability for NJ LEEP’s work with students to have an impact on their longer-term economic mobility. A 2019 report by the College Board amplifies the positive financial outcomes for college graduates and the impacts on long-term finances and stability. Based on their research, in 2018, the median earnings of bachelor’s degree recipients with no advanced degree working full time were $24,900 higher than those of a high school graduate.
Student Spotlight
Amanda Nwanko, Smith College, City College of New York
Hi, my name is Amanda Nwankwo and I am currently a graduate student at the City College of New York getting my Masters in Translational Medicine with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering. I graduated from Smith College with my bachelor’s in Biochemistry on the pre-med track. I was born and raised in Newark, but my family is from Nigeria; specifically the Igbo tribe.
What is your favorite part about being in the NJ LEEP community?
I graduated from NJ LEEP in 2016, and I believe my favorite thing was (and still is) the community and family you build. I know that if I need help, a person to talk to, academic advice, and resources I can always reach out to NJ LEEP. I have never reached out and not received anything in return.
What motivates you on a day-to-day basis?
What motivates me is knowing what God has said about me and concerning my future. Success looks like fulfilling my purpose, serving Jesus in the church, and leaving an inheritance for my children’s children.
Yield Giving and Lever for Change announced that NJ LEEP received a $2 million gift as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States! This gift will enable our organization to deepen our investment in students from the Greater Newark area obtaining a college degree.
This investment is a recognition of the talent and potential of past, current, and future NJ LEEP students and we are honored and humbled to have the opportunity to support them in pursuing their dreams.
Our Supporters
NJ LEEP would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their generous support of our programming during our 2023 Fiscal Year (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023).
Dan & Janet Schiff
M & T Weiner Foundation
$50,000+
Prudential Financial
Susan L. Blount
Thomas & Maureen Byrne
Verizon
Victoria Foundation
Wilf Family Foundations
AIG
ArentFox Schiff LLP
Barclays
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Dentons
Greenberg Traurig LLP
$25,000-$49,999
Gregory K. Palm
Jerry Webman & Susan Ginsburg
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
New Jersey State Bar Foundation
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
The Tullman Family Fund
TPG
Transcarent
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
WilmerHale
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Amanda Rose Laura Foundation
Audible, Inc.
David W. Pollak
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
$15,000-$24,999
Equitable
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Mayer Brown LLP
McKinsey & Company
Nyron Latif
Paul Hastings LLP
Russell & Stephanie Deyo
SRD Legal Group
Timothy & Marybeth Harris
Zachary D. Surak
Alston & Bird LLP
Arnold & Porter
Bressler, Amery & Ross, PC
Bristol Myers Squibb
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Connell Foley LLP
Craig Silliman
Deutsche Bank
Fisher & Phillips, LLP
Gibbons P.C.
Goodwin Procter LLP
$10,000-$14,999
Herbert Smith Freehills
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ
K&L Gates LLP
King & Spalding LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP
Lowenstein Sandler LLP
McCarter & English, LLP
McGuireWoods LLP
Mutual of America Financial Group
NJ Office of Faith Based Initiatives
New Jersey Women Lawyers Association
Novartis
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Proskauer Rose LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP
The Orange Orphan Society
Vinson & Elkins
American Express
Ashurst LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Benjamin S. Levine Foundation
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Carlton Fields
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC
Cole Schotz P.C.
Consilio
Cowen
Crowell & Moring Foundation
DLA Piper
doeLEGAL
Epiq
Fidelity Investments
FTI Consulting
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Groom Law Group, Chartered
$5,000-$9,999
Harry Jho LLC
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Intuit
Invesco
Jenner & Block LLP
Johnson & Johnson
José R. González & Christine Soto
Joshua Webman
KLDiscovery
LeFrak
McMaster-Carr Supply Company
Morrison & Foerster LLP
NJM Insurance Group
Panasonic
PERSUIT
PSEG
QuisLex
Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP
Sally C. Walsh
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
LLP
Sills Cummis & Gross P.C.
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Tara Favors
Tower Legal Solutions
Transcarent
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
White & Case LLP
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wong Fleming
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Zenola Harper
Ameet Mallik
Ann Kappler
Ari Gabinet
Bartholomew A. Sheehan
Brach Eichler
Carolyn Z. Alford
D. Casey C. Kobi
Darren R. Guy
David Ginsburg
Deloitte
Duane Morris LLP
Elana B. Wilf Tanzman
Endeavor
Eric Schwimmer
Erica Davila
Erin K. Powrie
Evan C. Williams
Everest Re
FINNancial Group LLC
Geycel Best
Gregory H. Barkan
Guggenheim Partners
Hachette Book Group, USA
$1,000-$4,999
Inglesino, Webster, Wyciskala & Taylor, LLC
Jason Driansky
Jeannine Bruin
Jeff Dobro
Jeffrey S. Isaacs
John Jacobi
Joseph D. Emanuel
Julie Montrose
Karen M. Francis
Karol Corbin Walker
Kshitij Mohta
Lisbeth Warren
Loren H. Brown
Lori Martin
Mandelbaum Barrett PC
Marc Larkins
Margaret M. Foran
Matthew & Jennifer Feinstein
Maureen F. Gilligan
Merck & Co., Inc
Meredith M. Ackerman
Mitchell S. Eitel
Moses & Singer LLP
Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, P.C.
Owen Littman
Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC
PSE&G Foundation
Ram Vasudevan
Randi W. Kochman
Rasheed Adewole
Rémy P. deVarenne
Richard Meade
RoseAnn Baska
Samir A. Gandhi
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Simons Foundation
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Solangel Maldonado
Steven Tugentman
Tananbaum Keale LLP
Vanguard
Varun Mehta
Vincent J. Brunetti
Wakefern Food Corp.
Walters and Mason Retail, Inc.
WeWork