Sarah Vandermark

Experience

1. President & CEO

   Mentforlife

   Jan 2023 — Present · NJ, US

   Mentforlife - a Non-profit organization helping to create future leaders through mentorship, co-operative education and a free college education. Who are we?Working in higher education for 25+ years with first generation and students of color, we have had the opportunity to share many student success stories as well as stories we wish we could have made more of an impact in a students life. We understand there is an infrastructure issue within higher education affecting retention and graduation rates across the nation. Without support, knowledge, academic preparedness and financial barriers removed, students do not succeed and drop out. Based on our expertise and to create an impact in student’s lives, the equity and access gap and diversity within corporations, we have created a solution, a non-profit organization, mentforlife.This is our passion and our contribution in giving back by creating opportunities for our students and their families as well as making our world a better place one mentor and student at a time. How will we do this? Companies and individuals will sponsor talented students by donating to their four year college education. We will recruit high school students, create a summer bridge program preparing them for their next chapter in life. We will then send them to the same college as a cohort. During this time, our student success model throughout the summer and their four years of college will contain the following supports- Mentors- Academic Advisors- Wellness Training- Co-op Opportunities- Career Coaches- Free college education- Computer- Money for books & travel This will be a cyclical model with students who have gone through mentforlife and graduated giving back to their community by becoming mentors for life to the next generation and we will continue to engage individuals and companies to support new students within our pipeline.

Education

• Northeastern University

  MS

  1996 — 1998

• Wilkes University

  BS

  1992 — 1996

• Montclair State University

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  2009 — 2014

Skills

• Community Outreach
• Public Speaking
• Student Counseling
• Admissions
• Higher Education
• Student Leadership
• Program Development
• Curriculum Development
• Student Development
• Teaching
• Academic Advising
• Career Counseling
• Leadership
• Academia
• Research