For my third week at Braven, I continued working on two board expansion proposals for the two new sites expected to bring the course accelerator to their campuses by Fall 2026. One of the major takeaways from my research is that, although both schools seem very different on paper, they both match the criteria that Braven seeks to form a partnership with. Braven usually partners with larger, public universities— and despite one of the potential partners being a smaller, private university, their new initiatives to draw in students who graduated from nearby public schools and introduce dual-credit courses to those students while in high school has shown their commitment to a diverse student body, and thus, a strong alignment with Braven's values. 
In addition to that assignment, I also had the opportunity to speak with the Director of Employer Partnerships in the New York office via Zoom. One of the most pressing questions on my mind when joining Braven was how an organization that champions educational equity has, if at all, adjusted its branding and communication strategy in our current political climate. In the past year, we have seen many major corporations roll back their DEI and philanthropic efforts as they have begun to come under fire for being perceived as too "polarizing" or too "woke." During my conversation, the director presented me with a slide that showed some of the sentences they had to rephrase on their website, most notably the change in their mission statement from "empowering diverse college students" to "promising college students." While the change may seem subtle, it still serves as a testament to the growing concern that politics can hinder organizations' ability to continue expanding their impact. However, from what I learned in our conversation, what is most vital in adjusting language is to ensure that a company does not adjust its values. IOrganizations must find ways to adapt while continuing to make a positive impact, even in challenging circumstances.