A letter from our leadership.

The idea of a village is not new. It is ancient and enduring, a truth carried across cultures and generations. At Onward We Learn, it has been the quiet anchor beneath our work: the belief that no young person reaches their fullest potential alone.

This year’s annual report honors the people, institutions, donors, funders, educators, and community partners who make the Onward experience possible.

At its most distilled, partnership means to share.

To share risk. To share responsibility. To share belief. To share success.

This is the spirit that animates Onward We Learn.

When a student crosses the stage with a plan for postsecondary education after walking with us since sixth grade, we feel the weight of the risks carried together: late nights, financial uncertainty, hopeful applications, the courage to imagine something different. As a family’s generational trajectory begins to shift, we are reminded that the reward is shared. The dream realized belongs not to one, but to all of us.

From the partnership between Board Chair and CEO, grounded in stewardship and shared purpose, to the vast web of relationships that sustain this work, it is an honor to share in this collective humanity.

Andrew Bramson, CEO
Jess Marfeo, Board Chair

Onward We Learn inspires and prepares young people in Rhode Island to be the first in their families to attend and complete college.

We believe that every young person should have the opportunity to dream boldly, learn fully, and thrive.

Partnership can look formal, arriving with letterhead and signatures, with memoranda and metrics. We are grateful for those partnerships, the ones that make pathways tangible.

Then there are the partnerships that rarely announce themselves, the human ones. They live in quiet moments of recognition, when someone sees their own story reflected in a young person’s.

Every partnership we have gathers around the center of work - our students.

Around the courage it takes to imagine a different trajectory and the discipline required to pursue it. Around a college acceptance letter that belongs to a household recalibrating what’s possible.

Schools, funders, board members, community leaders - each enters the Onward endeavor not as a distant supporter, but as a participant in a shared promise: to inspire and prepare young people in Rhode Island to be the first in their families to attend and complete college.

Partnership moves beyond a piece of paper into a living testament of what can happen when we decide that one another’s futures are worth holding together.

Partnership, then, is not an accessory to our mission. It is the architecture.

Onward We Learn has...

STUDENTS & ALUMNI

Over 4000

students

And 17,000 alumni and counting.

EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS

Over 70

formal partnerships

School districts, individual schools, higher education institutions, community based organizations, and countless individuals supporting the work.

DONATED SCHOLARSHIPS

$4,066,719

million

Our students have been accepted at over 100 unique institutions over the years.

Meet some of the incredible partners who make this work possible.

Talking about #Jenks 143, aka Principal Chamanlal

For Principal Chamanlal, partnerships are transformative. Leading Jenks Middle School, he believes education should change lives, not just improve test scores.

“We build people for a living,” he says. “This is not a contract. It’s a responsibility.”

For “Mr. C,” partnership means exposure, giving students opportunities to discover their interests, contribute to their communities, and imagine possibilities beyond what they see every day. He believes the students at Jenks have the power to change the narrative of Pawtucket Public Schools.

His belief comes from experience. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in Dorchester, Arnold was once recruited into an afterschool program focused on peer education and violence prevention. That opportunity opened doors he never expected: taking him to California, the Smoky Mountains, and South Africa.

Those experiences shaped the leader he is today.

He knows firsthand that the unexpected opportunity can change a life. For many Jenks students, partnership programs like Onward We Learn are exactly that.

It just doesn't get better than Jacob.

Jacob is 17, a senior at North Providence High School, an Honorific student with Onward We Learn, and waiting to hear from his dream school: Tufts University. Part Guatemalan and part Puerto Rican, he joined Onward in sixth grade as a quiet student searching for a place to belong. Today he’s often the first to introduce himself or lighten the moment with a joke.

In 2025, Jacob attended the National GEAR UP conference and Youth Leadership Summit in San Francisco. He saw young people supporting one another in ways he had never experienced before. It shaped how he understood leadership.

Now a senior member of the Onward Leadership Council, Jacob encourages peers to step outside their comfort zones and feel included.

Inspired by his hardworking parents, Jacob hopes to become a veterinarian one day and give his parents the chance to finally rest.

In this partnership Jacob discovered not just what he could do, but who he could become.

Daniel Reyes is the first stop for first gen students.

In the Learning 4 Life office at Rhode Island College, a poster behind Dan’s desk reads: “Straight Outta Manton.” When asked about his story, he smiles and points to it.

Growing up in Providence, Dan says the only difference between him and many of his peers was that they got caught and he didn’t. Education wasn’t part of the language of the streets he grew up on. By eighth grade, he could have told his mom he was done with school and she would have trusted his judgment. “Bueno hijo, tú eres el que lo sabe,” she would say, you know best.

When Dan graduated high school, he thought he had reached the peak of his education.

Today, he works with Learning 4 Life, supporting students navigating financial and social barriers. Like Onward We Learn, the program is built on leveling the playing field.

Dan knows education opens doors, but students have to walk through them. He’s there to make sure they know they can.

The legacy of Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain.

Since 2014, Superintendent Jermain has led Newport Public Schools in the community she calls home. A graduate of Rogers High School, her leadership is deeply connected to her experience as an alum, and to her commitment to the students who follow in her footsteps.

Superintendent Jermain played a pivotal role in expanding Onward We Learn to Newport. The partnership reflects a shared belief that supporting students requires shared risk and shared reward.

Unlike Onward’s work in other districts, the Newport partnership serves every public school student beginning in sixth grade, embedding the program directly into the school experience.

For Superintendent Jermain, that vision is simple: student success requires collaboration. Schools, community partners, families, and students each bring strengths that make the whole effort possible.

Her leadership created the access and support that allowed this work to begin.

As she retires this year, Onward We Learn honors Superintendent Jermain’s vision and the future it continues to create for Newport students.

Everyone knows Toye.

Toye has always been a builder - of relationships, technology, and opportunity. A Providence native and former software engineer, he founded Bubbler VR to address a gap he recognized early: it’s not that young people lack ability, they often lack exposure.

Through Bubbler VR, Toye creates immersive experiences that introduce students to careers they may have never considered. In real time, students can step into different professions, exploring what fits and imagining new possibilities for their futures.

For Toye, partnership is about more than providing a service, it’s about aligning around outcomes. Through his work with Onward We Learn, students gain meaningful exposure and leave with a clearer sense of what’s possible and how to get there.

Grounded in the community that shaped him, Toye is committed to opening doors for the next generation, sharing his passion in hopes it helps define theirs.

Let us introduce you to a legend, Jimps.

For Jimps, student success has always been about partnership. After 25 years at Central High School and 15 at Hope High School, he knows that when students thrive, it’s because a network of people are working together behind the scenes.

As one of four guidance counselors at Central, Jimps sees firsthand how much support students need and how public schools alone often don’t have the capacity to meet that demand. That’s where partnerships matter. For Jimps, working with Onward We Learn is about making sure more students get the help they need, when they need it.

He believes the strength of the partnership is simple: shared commitment, open communication, and trust.

“Students don’t belong to one person,” Jimps says. “They’re supported by a team.”

To meet Jimps is to understand why students succeed when people show up for them.

Our partners range across multiple points across our communities and at the multiple stages of our students' journey.

These higher ed partners make it possible for our students to not only use their scholarships fully, but allow Onward We Learn to consider whatever financial assistance students receive as a match for our federal funding.

Our partner schools make it possible to reach our students. They provide space for advisors to meet with students, through our data agreements our advisors can tailor support, and in our partnerships advisors feel integrated into respective schools cultures.

Community partners make it possible to offer students programming during school breaks, during summer vacation, and to create enriching career panels and programming.

To our partners - thank you.

Leadership Matters.
Partnership makes it possible.

Executive Team

Andrew Bramson, President & CEO
Susan Mansolillo, Chief Finance & Administration Officer
Alejandro Molina, Chief Program Officer
Pegah Rahmanian, Senior Director of Strategy and Partnership
Daisel Ramos, Senior Director of People & Culture

Board of Directors

Jessica Marfeo, Chair, Alumna, Class of 2001
Mary Halpin, Vice Chair
Kim E. Perry, Treasurer
Victor Capellan, Secretary
Meg Geoghegan, Immediate Past Chair
Andrew Bramson, President and CEO
Maureen Dizon, RIDE Commissioner Designee
Neri Franco, Alumnus, Class of 2010
Scott Gausland
Greg Ebner, PhD, RI OPC Commissioner Designee
Harold H. Horvat
Dereck Mendoza, Alumnus, Class of 2005
Ranika Reyes, Alumna, Class of 2001
Tammy V. Warner, PhD

Thank you for investing in Onward We Learn

Federal, State, and Local Funding

U.S. Department of Education/GEAR UP - $4,800,000

State of Rhode Island - $455,000

RI Office of the Postsecondary Commission (RI Reconnect) - $400,000

Rhode Island Department of Education (All Course Network) - $72,000

Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation - $25,000

Corporate, Private, and Family Foundations

Anonymous - $350,000

Rhode Island Foundation - $138,000

Centerville Bank Charitable Foundation - $50,000

Amgen Foundation - $22,000

Carter Family Charitable Trust - $10,000

Papitto Opportunity Connection - $5,000

Bhikhaji M. Maneckji Fund for Equity Action - $2,500

Dexter Donation - $2,000

Lois W. and George Graboys Family Fund - $1,500

F. Richard and Pearl H. Shein Family Fund - $1,000

Patty and Melvin G Alperin Fund - $700

The Wheeler School - $650

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island - $250

Matching Sponsors

FM Global

Rhode Island Foundation

Takeda Pharmaceuticals

United Way of Rhode Island (401 Gives)

Donated Scholarships

Boston University

Brown University

Bryant University

College Unbound

Community College of Rhode Island

Dean College

Johnson & Wales University

Lincoln Tech

Mount Holyoke

New England Institute of Technology

Northeastern University

Providence College

Rhode Island College

Roger Williams University

Salve Regina University

The University of Rhode Island

Wheaton College

Thank you for your gift.

$5,000-$15,000

Dianne Abuelo, MD
Kenneth & Sharon Graboys

$1,500-$2,500

Mary Halpin
Anne Melvin

$500-$1,499

Anonymous
Keri Augenstein
Andrew & Kate Bramson
James Carr
Meg Geoghegan
Christopher Graham
Cortney Lima
Susan and Louis Mansolillo
Jess Marfeo
Michael Menard
Kim Perry
Sidney Tynan
Stephen Ucci
Lauren Waterson

$250-$499

Alec & Wendy Beckett
Matthew Cimini
Lisa Crossman
Maureen Dizon
Neeta Fogg
Paul Harrington
Katherine Haspel
Hal Horvat
Alejandro Molina
Pegah Rahmanian
Keri Rossi-D’entremont
Anthony Simon
Cynthia Speranza
Erin Twomey-Wilson

$100-$249

Elizabeth Burke Bryant
Mary Dalton
Caroline DeMello
Dana Ginestet
Dereck Mendoza
Leslie Tremberth
Louise & Richard Carriere
Malcolm Farmer III
Daisel Ramos
Jane Sherman
Andrea Maize
David Fecteau
Gary & Joan Boyd
Valerie Burke
Victor Capellan
William Donohoe
Ryan Durgin
Amy Elefteriou
Scott Gausland
Adi Goldstein
MaryKay Koreivo
Harriet Steinberg
Tammy Vargas Warner
Nicole Verdi
Tara Woodworth

Up to $99

Ana Almeida
Melanie Almeida
Cathy Azzoli
Elizabeth Bateson
Marie Martin
Anna Cano Morales
Majay Charley
Wilfred Chirinos
Kristen Cipriano
Thomas Clifford
Monique Collions
Timothy Costa
Brian Darrow
Ariel Davey
Athina DeAndrade
Elaine De La Rosa
Nicoletta Dennett
Pamela DelPonte
Linda DeQuattro
Yisel De Oleo
Darcy Dubois
Kirtley Fisher
Joshua Flanagan
Gabriella Florio
Joy Fox
Neri Franco
Lehidy Frias
Manuela Garcia
Ellis Garcia
Lori Gardiner
Yulisa Godoy
Shaince Goncalves
Francisco Gonzalez
Maria Gonzalez
Eric Gregoire
Jameson Greene
Rachel Newman Greene
Meaghan Isherwood
Michelle Jackson
Jimps Jean-Louis
Margaret Kerr
Seth Kolker
Sage Leimer
Sarah Lessard
Kristen Liming
Karey Majka
Anthony Mam
Jeni Mansolillo
Magnoly Maria
David Martone
Chereva McClellan
Jennifer Minier
Victor Montanez
Erin Nascimento
Jennifer Navia
Edward Owens
Alessio Pari
Edwin Pacheco
Lindsey Paciulli
Claribel Pinales
Shanty Pineda
Nicole Pollack
Courtney Price
Marlin Reyes
Victoria Rose
Derek Rossi
Ashley Ruderman-Looff
Ashely Sanchez
Kathryn Scheffey
Linda Selecman
Jonathan Steele
Lori Suher
Caroline Tate
Lauren Tetoni
Sarah Testoni
Marlex Torres
Julie Turner
Jessica Toussaint
Nicholas Vaz
Loyri Valera
Christina Yates
Takara R.

The Page that Counts.

In 2025, our students spent 5,870 hours in partner delivered programming.

Onward offered 255 programs ranging in topics.

Favorite snack request: Takis

During school and summer vacations 878 students participated in partner delivered programs.

Most in demand program supply was vision board materials and fidgets.

We serve over 4000 students across 6 cities.

Onward partners with 44 schools that offer donated space for advisors.

In 2025, first generation students represented 54% of all U.S. college students.

Onward fulfilled 132 emergency fund requests.

There are approximately 200 species of owls.

Fiscal Year 2025 Financials*

*Financial information is derived from the organization’s FY2025 audited financial statements, which are pending formal acceptance by the Onward We Learn Board of Directors.

Revenue, Gains, and Other Supports

Government, Grants, and Support - $5,189,323
Corporate and Foundation Grants - $517,831
Contributions and Special Events - $432,916
In-Kind Support - $591,384
Total Revenue and Other Support - $6,731,454

Investment Income - $219,890
Investment Gains/(Losses) - $761,929
Total Other Income/(Expenses) - $981,819

Total Revenue, Gains, and Supports - $7,713,273

Expenses

Program (including cash scholarships) - $5,943,164
Management and General - $1,131,817
Total Expenses - $7,074,981

A Year Worth Noting.

Onward We Learn was named as one of the
Best Places to Work RI by the Providence Business News.

Our Senior Director of College Access and Success,
Keri Rossi-D’entremont was recognized by the National College Attainment
Network (NCAN) as Member of the Month.

WPRI 12 profiles Onward We Learn in their WPRI 12 Gives Back segment.

Erin Twomey-Wilson, Onward’s Director of
Data and Evaluation was awarded the PSTAT® Certification
from the American Statistical Association, a competitive and rigorous process.

Three Onward We Learn students were accepted and attended the
National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCEEP)
conference and Youth Leadership Summit in San Francisco.