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#199 | Building Pathways for Underrepresented College Students with Dara Ashley
In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dara Ashley, founding executive director of the Dara Ashley Foundation, researcher, and nonprofit leader working to close the access and exposure gap for underrepresented college students.
Dara shares how her own experiences, mentorship, and time at Howard University shaped her passion for helping students see what is possible. She explains why exposure matters, why students cannot pursue opportunities they have never seen, and how mentorship can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
Kyle and Dara also discuss the difference between access and ability, the power of one-on-one mentorship, data-driven program design, Leadership U, and what it means to build an organization that helps students gain the skills, networks, and confidence they need for life after college.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction
00:40 — Meet Dara Ashley
01:00 — Dara’s mission and infectious spirit
01:30 — Closing the access and exposure gap
02:30 — Helping students identify what they do not know
03:15 — The power of exposure
04:00 — Dara’s origin story and early mentorship experience
05:00 — Where to start if you want to serve your community
06:00 — Former mentees returning as mentors
07:15 — Access versus ability
08:45 — Why exposure also shows students what they do not want
10:00 — Dara’s path into research
11:00 — Why leaders must mentor and reach back
12:00 — Staying connected to the audience you serve
13:00 — What Dara saw missing in the system
14:30 — What leaders get wrong about mentorship
15:30 — The power of one-on-one mentorship
16:00 — What success looks like for Dara
17:00 — The ten-year vision for the Dara Ashley Foundation
18:00 — Growing into 42 states and going deeper locally
19:00 — Leadership U and student-centered program design
20:00 — Using data to measure and build impact
21:00 — Turning vision into systems and deliverables
--
Learn More About the Contagious Culture Conference
Subscribe & Leave a Review to The Contagious Culture Podcast
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts
📞 Schedule Your Call Here
🖥️ Join the #1 Community for Leaders and Change Makers
👉🏽 Apply to Be in the Growth Alliance
👉🏽Connect with Kyle S. King
View all episodes
By Kyle S. KingIn this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dara Ashley, founding executive director of the Dara Ashley Foundation, researcher, and nonprofit leader working to close the access and exposure gap for underrepresented college students.
Dara shares how her own experiences, mentorship, and time at Howard University shaped her passion for helping students see what is possible. She explains why exposure matters, why students cannot pursue opportunities they have never seen, and how mentorship can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
Kyle and Dara also discuss the difference between access and ability, the power of one-on-one mentorship, data-driven program design, Leadership U, and what it means to build an organization that helps students gain the skills, networks, and confidence they need for life after college.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction
00:40 — Meet Dara Ashley
01:00 — Dara’s mission and infectious spirit
01:30 — Closing the access and exposure gap
02:30 — Helping students identify what they do not know
03:15 — The power of exposure
04:00 — Dara’s origin story and early mentorship experience
05:00 — Where to start if you want to serve your community
06:00 — Former mentees returning as mentors
07:15 — Access versus ability
08:45 — Why exposure also shows students what they do not want
10:00 — Dara’s path into research
11:00 — Why leaders must mentor and reach back
12:00 — Staying connected to the audience you serve
13:00 — What Dara saw missing in the system
14:30 — What leaders get wrong about mentorship
15:30 — The power of one-on-one mentorship
16:00 — What success looks like for Dara
17:00 — The ten-year vision for the Dara Ashley Foundation
18:00 — Growing into 42 states and going deeper locally
19:00 — Leadership U and student-centered program design
20:00 — Using data to measure and build impact
21:00 — Turning vision into systems and deliverables
--
Learn More About the Contagious Culture Conference
Subscribe & Leave a Review to The Contagious Culture Podcast
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts
📞 Schedule Your Call Here
🖥️ Join the #1 Community for Leaders and Change Makers
👉🏽 Apply to Be in the Growth Alliance
👉🏽Connect with Kyle S. King