The following was originally published by the Sun Community News.
ESSEX | Athletics offers a unique opportunity for secondary school students to discover college opportunities, and to that end, the college- and career-readiness nonprofit Brilliant Pathways has entered into a mentorship partnership with Babson College in Massachusetts that draws on the experience of college athletes.
Through the program, students in the Boquet Valley and Lehigh, Pa., school districts can video conference with Babson athletes, who explain what college sports are like and help young athletes picture themselves in a college setting.
“Students are asking questions about scheduling, how to maintain grades while practicing, the commitments, facilities, scholarships, expectations, recruiting, the difference in collegiate levels — D1 vs. D3 — clubs, and living on campus,” said Shannon Jones, a teacher and field hockey coach at Northern Lehigh Middle School. “Students are getting real answers from the collegiate athletes. They are truly helping them to understand the process of continuing to play at a higher level while keeping in mind that at the end, you need to stay focused on your degree.”
Mentorships are an important part of the Brilliant Pathways model, which provides students with access to opportunities in the academic and professional worlds.
“This program is about providing consistent and educationally enriching ways for Brilliant Pathways scholars to learn and grow through relationships with Babson mentors,” said Manny Tejeda, Brilliant Pathways director of special programs. “There is a unique power in a scholar’s hearing: ‘I was where you are.’ This isn’t just advice—it’s lived experience. By connecting students with mentors who have walked a similar path, we aren’t just telling them college is possible; we’re showing them it’s inevitable.”
Jones said she’s been encouraged by the degree to which her middle-schoolers are intrigued by college pathways. “We have a lot of motivated athletes who, we felt, could use the knowledge going into their high school years,” she said. “We felt it was important for them to be able to set goals now as they age into high school.”
Under the auspices of the Babson College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the program is also rewarding to Babson athletes themselves.
“Babson SAAC is a cornerstone of our athletics community,” said Vice President for Athletics and Athletics Advancement Mike Lynch, who also sits on the Brilliant Pathways board. “SAAC’s commitment to service, leadership, and innovation truly embodies what it means to be a Babson student-athlete. I am continually inspired by the energy and vision our SAAC leaders bring to campus—whether they’re launching new partnerships, organizing community service initiatives, or creating opportunities for athletes to connect and grow.”
Babson SAAC formalized its commitment by establishing a dedicated Brilliant Pathways committee within the organization, signaling a structural investment in a relationship built to last. This committee is responsible for coordinating mentorship activities, sustaining engagement between the two organizations, and ensuring the program grows meaningfully over time.
SAAC co-president Will Holland added that SAAC’s core purpose is rooted in giving back — to support people who have given student-athletes the opportunity to pursue collegiate athletics and education. The Brilliant Pathways partnership embodies that mission in concrete, lasting form.
For scholars in the Lehigh and Boquet Valley school districts, the program represents something more than mentorship sessions, Tejeda said. It represents possibility. When a Babson student-athlete confers with a young scholar and shares how they got to college and the obstacles they overcame, the message is that this avenue is achievable.
Jones said her students “showed grace, confidence, and maturity in their questions. Students were talking about it after in small groups and asking me even more questions. As a former college athlete, I wish someone had provided this opportunity to me.”
For more information about Brilliant Pathways and this partnership, visit brilliantpathways.org.