Podcasts Culture Sounds Like Portraits Andrew Heinrich, Founder of non-profit Project Rousseau: what makes a (good) mentor?

Andrew Heinrich, Founder of non-profit Project Rousseau: what makes a (good) mentor?

Published: Dec. 19, 2020, 6:20 p.m.

In 2011, Andrew Heinrich founded the non-profit Project Rousseau, while an undergraduate student at Columbia University. The idea was –and still is- to provide underprivileged high school students with the opportunity of a college education.

Since then, 100% of Project Rousseau students have faced chronic hunger, food insecurity or housing instability, 18% of them have had involvement with the justice system and 20% have experienced homelessness. 

To help them, Project Rousseau offers far more than academic preparation. Students are matched one-to-one to a mentor who are college student volunteers. Because academic problems rarely have only academic causes, Project Rousseau takes a holistic approach. It delivers not only mentoring but also community service programs, international cultural exchanges and of course, academic support.

And it works! In the past 5 years, Project Rousseau students achieved 26 Ivy league acceptances received 99 acceptances to top-25 colleges. 

Mentorship is at the core of Project Rousseau:                            What makes a good mentor?

That’s the question of the week.