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A collage of three images: a headshot of Asher Segun-Olasanmi smiling at camera, an image of Adam Dhalla holding camera with nature in the background, and a headshot of Meera Dasgupta smiling at camera.

Rise supports promising young people and provides them with opportunities that allow them to work together to serve others over their lifetimes.

In partnership with Rhodes Trust, Rise is one of Eric and Wendy Schmidt's philanthropic initiatives to foster global talent.

What makes Rise Different?

Monique Therese Mabasa Cheng smiling at camera

Rise supports a life of service.

We support promising young people and provide them with opportunities that allow them to work together to serve others over their lifetimes.

Thomas Pierre Grattoni-May smiling at camera

Rise is a global community.

If one person alone can change the world, imagine what a network of exceptional people can do together throughout their lives. That is the vision of Rise.

Shellane Ashley Shettleworth smiling at camera

Rise looks for talent.

We look for talent, in whatever form it takes, wherever it is in the world.

About Rise

Rise supports promising young people and provides them with opportunities that allow them to work together to serve others over their lifetimes. The program seeks young people ages 15 to 17 and encourages a lifetime of service and learning by providing support that may include need-based scholarships, mentorship, networking, access to career development opportunities, and the potential for additional funding as Rise Global Winners work toward solving humanity’s most pressing problems.

In partnership with the Rhodes Trust, Rise is one of Eric and Wendy Schmidt's philanthropic initiatives to foster global talent.

Read about the Program

Globe graphic with a geographical pin on Kenya

UWC is immensely proud to partner with Rise in expanding educational opportunities to students from refugee backgrounds, including Kakuma Refugee Camp, based in my home country Kenya. Education is a gift like no other and it is also a human right. Conflicts, wars and injustice deny millions of children their right to education and jeopardize their wider development efforts… Thank you, Rise, for partnering with UWC to give the young people in Kakuma Camp and other refugee settings the ‘education power’ to realize their own dreams and shape their visions for peace, development and sustainability.

MUSIMBI KANYORO
CHAIR OF THE UNITED WORLD COLLEGES INTERNATIONAL BOARD

Today, we face a multitude of global challenges that require courage, imagination, passion, and resilience to solve. It is therefore hugely exciting that Rise is supportIng the next generation of talented problem-solvers who can help address these challenges.

FRED SWANIKER
FOUNDER OF AFRICAN LEADERSHIP GROUP, SOUTH AFRICA & KENYA

By joining Rise, we will support young people in Germany and beyond to implement their ideas for a better future. The German Foundation for Integration is proud to become a member of a global network of like-minded organizations and contribute with its long-term experience in the areas of migration, equal access to education, and anti-discrimination. I am convinced that this diverse community of talents will create a significant positive impact.

CHRISTIAN WULFF
FORMER FEDERAL PRESIDENT OF GERMANY & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GERMAN FOUNDATION FOR INTEGRATION, GERMANY

So often, it is the young people who see the future and make it happen, who are restless to rectify the shortcomings of those who came before them, and to make the world a better place not just for themselves but for everyone. This program helps these future thinkers and doers to see themselves as givers, too.

ANGELA DUCKWORTH
AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

Education breaks the cycle of economic disadvantage and creates the citizens of tomorrow—that’s the wonder of investing in youth. By partnering with Rise, the Public Education Foundation extends a wonderful opportunity to Australian students to go further, spread their wings and change the world for the better! After all, the world of tomorrow is in the hands of the youth of today.

DAVID HETHERINGTON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION, AUSTRALIA

In an increasingly integrated world, programs like Rise are vital to supporting the leaders of tomorrow. Rise reinvents the process of connecting with, and supporting, global talent, and in this way positions itself as an initiative integral to the work we do at the University of Chicago. As one of Rise’s first university partners, we are proud to align ourselves with an organization that shares a commitment to access and support of all students.

JIM NONDORF
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT AND STUDENT ADVANCEMENT AND DEAN OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

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