17 KIPP Students Receive $60,000 Each from the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program

28 Inaugural Goldberg Scholars Celebrate College Graduations in May    

 New York, NY – May 2, 2022 – Today, the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Foundation and the Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation (SGFF) announced the 2022 recipients of the Dave Goldberg Scholarship. These 17 high school seniors were selected from hundreds of applicants and will join the 76 students already in the program.  This year, the inaugural class of 2018  Goldberg Scholars will be graduating from college. These videos show some of the scholars’ trajectory to and through college. This video captures the moment students were notified they had become Goldie scholars this year.  

 “As we celebrate these graduates and welcome a new class of scholars, I am filled with so much pride for all that these students can and will accomplish and know Dave would be too. There is no better way to honor his memory than to see the impact these students will have in the world,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Meta COO and founder of Lean In and Option B. 

All 17 students in the 2022 cohort of Goldberg Scholars will receive a unique combination of financial support and mentorship during their four-year college experience. Highlights include: 

  • A “Goldberg Mentor” to provide guidance and support on a regular basis throughout college 
  • Critical financial support totaling approximately $15,000 a year per student to cover a range of non-tuition needs not traditionally met by college-based financial aid 
  • Support from “Goldberg Connectors” – a network of professionals who will help scholars secure summer internships and job opportunities 

 “It is amazing to see the community the KIPP Goldberg scholars have been able to build with their mentors and with each other,” said Richard Barth, CEO of the KIPP Foundation. “The Goldberg Scholarship is a true example of how the power of mentorship and network can translate into students having a strong start in their careers and beyond.”  

Of the 30 Goldberg Scholars from the inaugural class, now in their senior year of college, 28 are set to graduate this spring and the remaining two will graduate in the coming fall or spring.  Despite their barriers, in addition to added challenges brought on by the pandemic, all the Goldberg scholars are persisting through college. In comparison, nationwide, graduates from low income and high-minority high schools completed college within six years at the lowest rate (28%), a gap of 24 percentage points from the rate for high school graduates from higher-income and low-minority schools (52%). All graduating Goldberg Scholars are on track to secure their strong job out of college with several already having signed offers from companies like Momentive, Teach For America, Bloomberg and others are moving on to graduate school.  

The 17 KIPP students selected are from 10 regions across the KIPP Public Schools network, including Texas, California, Massachusetts and Colorado. Check out the 2022 Goldberg Scholars profiles here. 

The Goldberg Scholarship Program was established by SGFF in October 2017 to support graduating high school seniors from KIPP schools across the country who have demonstrated remarkable leadership and achievement. The scholarship honors the legacy of Dave Goldberg by supporting a new generation of trailblazers who have demonstrated Dave’s qualities of leadership, resilience, achievement, character, and entrepreneurial spirit. In 2022, the program will graduate the first cohort of Goldberg Scholars, who began their undergraduate studies in 2018.   

“Dave helped people succeed without credit or payback because it was the right thing to do. He not only helped people and made the world a better place but lead by example and showed those in power how to help others. I’m so happy to see Dave’s legacy shine brighter and brighter through the success of the Goldberg Scholars, especially those who are graduating this year. I look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the future including helping those around them to grow and lead as well,” said Rob Goldberg, Founder of Forge LLC. 

“This new cohort of Goldberg scholars represents everything that my friend Dave embodied – incredible resilience, leadership and entrepreneurship. I can’t wait to follow their success in their path through college and beyond,” said Tom Bernthal, Dave’s friend and Co-Founder and CEO of Kelton Global. 

KIPP has a proven track record of helping students from educationally underserved communities develop the knowledge, skills, and character strengths necessary to succeed in college and life. KIPP currently operates 270 public charter schools educating over 115,000 students across 20 states and the District of Columbia. KIPP students graduate from four-year colleges at a rate that is above the national average for all students and approximately four times the average for students from similar economic backgrounds nationwide. 

About the Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation 

The Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation works to build a more equal and resilient world. SGFF brings people together to support each other through three key initiatives: LeanIn.Org, OptionB.Org, and the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program. 

About KIPP 

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of 270 public charter schools that are dedicated to preparing students in educationally underserved communities for success in college and life. KIPP schools are ​part of the free public school system and enrollment is open to all students. Started in 1994 as a middle school program, KIPP has since expanded to enroll students in all grades from pre-K through high school.