Early-career opportunities often hinge on access — access to guidance, networks, and someone who can help translate potential into a real path forward. That idea is rooted in the work that Global Mentorship Initiative (GMI) does. GMI is designed to reach talented young people who lack the professional networks others take for granted and equip them with the kind of mentorship that makes the early steps of launching their career feel possible.
With our shared mission to advance leadership and career development for global youth — especially first-generation college students — GMI and Aspire Institute have partnered to expand access to mentoring, critical skill-building opportunities, and support in achieving their career goals.
Recognizing the Needs of Underserved Students
Global Mentorship Initiative is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to helping young professionals around the world successfully launch their careers. Jon Browning, GMI’s Founder and CEO, began GMI after serving as a strategic leader for the Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs Initiative, which aimed to create career opportunities for young graduates in areas with high unemployment rates. During this time, Browning noticed something concerning.
“Many young people from under-resourced communities, specifically first-generation college students or those who faced economic hardships, struggled more than their peers to find meaningful employment after graduation,” he explained. “They often were not connected to robust support networks, business connections, and mentors who could guide them as they started their careers.”
This realization became the seed for a global movement. Harnessing a network of experienced professionals eager to share their knowledge, Browning established GMI in 2019 with the aim of closing the opportunity gap between those with support systems and those lacking access to them.
Transforming Futures Through Global Mentorship
Studies show that our first professional roles can have a profound impact on our careers.
In the beginning of any career journey, mentorship acts as a critical anchor for development and direction.
“Studies show that our first professional roles can have a profound impact on our careers,” Browning said.
With this knowledge, GMI leverages its network and resources to empower disadvantaged students, equipping them with the skills they need to secure strong first jobs and excel in the workplace. Students engage in 12 virtual mentoring sessions with mentors from around the world and benefit from immediate, personalized feedback that enhances their professional presence, builds their confidence, and guides them in strategically expanding their networks.
Because GMI’s curriculum is versatile and customizable, mentors and mentees do not need to share the same major, industry, or job interest. The focus is the human connection.
“The mentorship [connects] them to someone who is rooting for their success,” Browning said.
Today, GMI’s reach spans over 120 countries and is powered by more than 10,000 volunteer mentors, many of whom are affiliated with partners like Microsoft, LinkedIn, 3M, Clarivate, and Expedia.
“One of the most gratifying aspects of this work is when students return to the program as mentors,” Browning said, reflecting on the story of a former GMI student in 2023.
Jana, a refugee in Lebanon who escaped a warzone, was able to secure a job with the help of her GMI mentorship. This year, she has become a mentor herself and was matched with another refugee in Rwanda.
“It was an incredible opportunity for Jana, a refugee herself,” Browning said. “She was provided a way to pay it forward, helping someone who was in a situation like hers.”
A Shared Commitment to Expanding Opportunity
As our world increasingly relies on AI and algorithms, human connection has become a valuable antidote against loneliness and isolation.
Aspire Institute and GMI share a mission: advancing leadership, access, and opportunity for underserved youth who navigate education and career without a roadmap. Our diverse, global networks are major assets, providing unique opportunities for our learners.
“Students and mentors alike get the opportunity to sharpen their listening skills, cultivate curiosity, and form genuine connections with people whose life experience might be very different from theirs, imparting lessons that they could not get from anywhere else.” Browning said.
For Aspire alumni who lacked mentorship early in their academic careers, this partnership offers a source of guidance that is personalized, globally connected, and transformative.
An Emphasis on Human Connection
Browning acknowledges the changing landscape of our society and the ways GMI can mitigate its effects on global youth.
“As our world increasingly relies on AI and algorithms, human connection has become a valuable antidote against loneliness and isolation,” he said. “Through the GMI mentorship experience, students and mentors build important skills that technology cannot teach or ever replace — skills like empathy, compassion and curiosity.”
When applied, these skills create a powerful ripple effect that has the potential to create more equitable workplaces and a future fueled by human connection.
For Aspire and GMI, that future is already taking shape — in every mentorship match, every Zoom call between students and mentors across time zones, and every young leader who chooses to turn their own opportunity into a pathway for someone else.
