2022
2022
A scrappy first version
RISE began as a lean, founder-led experiment: prove that thoughtful mentorship could change how students see higher education and their own potential.
About RISE
A global student mentorship program built from lived experience.
RISE Global Program is a nonprofit initiative that connects underprivileged high school students with volunteer mentors who guide them through the process of pursuing higher education. Through the 10-week Boost Your Education program, each mentee is matched with a mentor based on shared interests and background. Together they develop an Academic Roadmap, attend masterclasses, and build the skills and confidence to move forward, at no cost to students or schools.
Why we exist
Too many students have talent, discipline, and ambition, but not enough proximity to people who can make the path to university feel real.
What we change
We turn higher education from a distant idea into a navigable plan, with human guidance, clear next steps, and a community around the student.
The Origin Story
RISE was born from a simple reflection.
Bendix Hempel and Ricardo Del Rio kept coming back to the same question: what did it actually take to get from where they started to where they are now, and how much easier would that journey have been if someone just a few steps ahead had helped make the path visible?
That reflection became the foundation of RISE. Not a generic advice platform, but a program built around the kind of mentorship that changes decisions early, when encouragement, context, and practical guidance matter most.
What Makes It Different
Close-to-path mentors
Students learn from people who recently navigated similar decisions, applications, and transitions.
Structure, not random advice
A defined 10-week rhythm keeps the relationship focused and useful instead of vague or one-off.
No cost barrier
Students and schools can access the program without paying for the guidance they deserve.
Global perspective
Mentors and mentees bring different countries, school systems, and lived experiences into one room.
Timeline
From a small pilot to a global volunteer movement.
2024
2024
First volunteers joined
What started with Bendix and Ricardo became a real team. The first volunteers beyond the founders helped shape outreach, programming, and delivery.
2025
2025
100 mentors reached
The mentor community crossed the 100-person mark, showing that talented people around the world were willing to give time, care, and practical guidance back.
NOW
Today
A growing global program
RISE now runs structured cohorts, brings mentors and mentees together across borders, and keeps building a support system that students can trust.
How It Works
One program. Ten weeks. Tangible momentum.
RISE is deliberately structured so students do not just feel inspired for a week. They leave with clearer direction, better questions, stronger habits, and a plan they can keep building from.
01
Students are matched intentionally
Each mentee is paired with a mentor based on shared interests, background, ambitions, and practical fit across language and time zone.
02
They build an Academic Roadmap
Mentors help mentees turn vague ambition into an actual plan: next steps, application priorities, opportunities to explore, and habits to build.
03
The cohort learns together
Masterclasses add group learning on topics like studying abroad, scholarships, applications, communication, and future-ready skills.
04
Confidence compounds
By the end of the 10 weeks, students are not just better informed. They are more confident, better prepared, and clearer on what comes next.
Impact So Far
The numbers matter because each one started with a student who needed a real chance.
175+
students mentored
10
cohorts completed
4
continents reached
9
mentee nationalities represented
100+
mentors involved by 2025
10
mentor countries represented
Across ten completed cohorts, RISE has supported students across four continents and built a mentor network that kept growing from a founder-led effort into an international volunteer community.
Join Us
Help us make higher education guidance feel possible, personal, and global.
We are looking for excellent mentors, thoughtful partners, and people who care deeply about education access. If you believe talented students should not be limited by proximity, information, or network, there is a place for you in RISE.