Steve Colón & John Branam: Impact at Scale, Student-Centered Leadership & Choice-Filled Lives

In this New Season 11, first Episode of Learning Can’t Wait, John Branam and Steve Colón share the story behind the merger of Bottom Line and Get Schooled, two education nonprofits united by a shared mission to put students first. Drawing from their personal journeys as first-generation college graduates, they discuss how trust, values alignment, and a commitment to impact over ego made the merger possible. Together, they outline a new model that combines proven outcomes with national scale—supporting students from 9th grade through six months post-college—while reaffirming the long-term value of higher education as a pathway to choice-filled lives and economic mobility.