It’s Time to
Level the Playing Field

From a Single Workshop to Serving Students Nationwide

PeerForward’s mission is to unleash the power of positive peer influence to transform the lives of youth living in low-income communities by connecting them to college and careers. Formerly known as College Summit, we began as a single workshop in the basement of a Washington, D.C. community center. The goal was to help students capture their stories in personal essays that could be used for college applications. From that single workshop, more than two decades ago, founders J.B. Schramm, Keith Frome, and Derek Canty built a national organization that has guided more than 350,000 students across the nation to higher education.

Unleashing the Power of Peers

Our name has changed from College Summit to PeerForward; our mission and values remain the same. We believe in the power of positive peer influence to drive more students to and through college. Our founders saw the spark between peers at that very first workshop. For more than two decades, we have honed a method for capturing, structuring, and leveraging the power of peer influence to motivate students to plan for, apply to, and succeed in higher education.  No other college access program so powerfully taps this resource found in every high school in America.

Guiding Students to Higher Education
350,000 Nationwide and We’re Just Getting Started

Board of Directors

National Advisory Board

Leadership Council

The Leadership Council, PeerForward’s junior board, engages a diverse team of professionals who share a passion for changing lives through education. They leverage their skills, expertise, and networks to support PeerForward with fundraising, thought partnership, and volunteer activities. The Leadership Council empowers our future leaders to make an impact today.