In today’s episode, we sit down with Ruthe Farmer, founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund, for a powerful conversation about unlocking opportunity in STEM education.
This discussion focuses on the Last Mile’s mission to support students in the final stretch of their degrees—especially those in high-demand fields like cybersecurity. Farmer also describes how the fund provides crucial support for tuition, certification exams, and even basic needs, helping students stay on track when it matters most.
The conversation looks at the fund’s innovative partnership with Microsoft to boost community college cybersecurity programs, and its recent expansion into graduate-level support. With data-driven impact in hand, Farmer explains how every graduate supported by the Fund delivers a $510,000 lifetime return—and a ripple effect on the broader economy.
Tune in as Farmer, and Diverse host Ralph Newell, also explore the real-world consequences of proposed changes to Pell Grant eligibility and why addressing students' basic needs isn’t just compassionate—it’s smart policy.
KEY POINTS:
-Farmer’s 20 years of experience in talent pipelines in STEM; and the inspiration behind starting the Last Mile Education Fund in 2017
- How the Last Mile aims to support students in high-demand STEM fields (who are in their last four semesters of a degree)
- Partnership with Microsoft and brands to support cybersecurity students and other related majors
-The fund's expansion to support graduate students at the master's and PhD levels
-The importance of supporting students in high-demand fields – workforce development
- Farmer’s previous work with Girl Scouts USA, where she helped develop STEM programs
- A look at the GOP-backed bill that could limit Pell Grant access for students who need it most
- How the fund goes beyond tuition to cover essential needs—like rent, groceries, dental work, and even funeral expenses
- Paying-it-forward with inspiring student success stories
- Farmer’s candid advice for future leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone charting their path
QUOTES:
“We believe that any student who has made it halfway through a degree in a high-demand STEM field like computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, [or] AI has proven themselves, and they need to graduate.” – Ruthe Farmer
“If money is the barrier to you graduating, we're here to help.” – Ruthe Farmer
“We need 1.1 million software engineers. By 2034, we need 700,000 cybersecurity workers. Right now, the CHIPS and Science Act is predicting we need 200,000 semiconductor workers per year. We can't afford to be weeding people out. We need to be weeding people in.” – Ruthe Farmer
“Students are winning because they're graduating, universities are winning because their students are graduating, employers are winning because they're getting access to more talent, and then society is winning because we're contributing more money to the safety net.” – Ruthe Farmer
"Normalize asking for help. You are the future of America. We want you to succeed. So ask for help, because it's out there.” – Ruthe Farmer
RESOURCES:
Apply — Last Mile Education Fund
2020-2024 Last Mile 5-Year Impact Report
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Closed captioning and live show transcription are available in the video for this episode.
In The Margins is produced by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and edited by EPYC Media Network (visit at https://www.epyc.co/).
