Avenue Scholars

Avenue Scholars offers unprecedented levels of educational support, financial aid, and career development opportunities, starting in high school and extending through career entry. Partnering with 6 school districts, higher education colleges, and hundreds of businesses, Avenue Scholars is a national leader in bridging the gap between a Scholar’s education and a Scholar’s business career. We ensure the success of our Scholars by providing supportive relationships, personalized coaching, education, and training, guaranteeing career pathways.

Students are selected for the program during their sophomore year based on: 

• Financial need (eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunches or a federal Pell Grant)
• Interest in pursuing a career in a high-demand career field requiring an associate degree or less
• Attendance at an Avenue Scholars partner high school

Our dedicated staff is unwavering in their commitment to empowering young individuals, and the primary goal is to equip students with experiences and tools necessary to actively choose high-demand careers in the Omaha area, offering extraordinary support services to help Scholars identify, persist toward, and ultimately enter financially sustaining careers.

The Avenue Scholars program provides an array of resources to help Scholars persist to career entry. Each Scholar is assigned a Career Coach at both the high school and postsecondary/career levels of the program to guide their personal and career-related development during the junior and senior years of high school (High School Career Coach) and during postsecondary training and into career entry (Postsecondary Career Coach). Scholars attending Metropolitan Community College (MCC) also receive support from MCC Facilitators, who assist Scholars with college-related issues like course enrollment, financial aid, and academic support.

Once a Scholar enters the workforce for six months, they are invited to stay connected to Avenue Scholars as a program alum while they realize the benefits of completing the Avenue Scholars program including:

• Secure full-time employment
• Earn a living wage
• Access to health insurance and retirement benefits through their employer
• Work in a field aligned with Avenue Scholars supported industries 
• Identify opportunities for upward mobility