HYPE : A Paramount for Future Students

What is Hype?

HYPE’s mission is to reduce or eliminate the "financial barriers” that hinder student’s ability to attend, continue, and graduate college. HYPE will fulfill the unmet need of students enrolled and enrolling to college by providing affordable and accessible student loans. HYPE will achieve this goal by being a micro-lending website that will connect donors to Boston area students through monetary donations.

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Students, who enroll, attend, and graduate from college, set the tone for their peers that college is a possibility. In turn, the student’s success creates a domino affect that positively impacts their family as well as their community.

The Founders of HYPE

Luz Mederos is a Northeastern Alumni from Boston, Massachusetts. Luz, class of 2008, graduated with a degree in Business Administration and was awarded as Northeastern University’s 100 Most Influential Seniors. She is interested in issues related to urban education. Currently, Luz works at the Steppingstone Foundation in Support Services, where she works with over 100 Scholars and their families helping them achieve their goal of attending college. Luz believes that HYPE can provide financial support to the urban youth of Boston with aspirations of achieving a higher education. In the future, Luz hopes to work in the Boston Public Schools as a guidance counselor to help as many students attend college.

Roodly Dorleans is a Northeastern Alumni born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Roodly was part of the graduating class of 2008 and was awarded 100 Most Influential Senior and the Joseph Spear Scholarship. He is the first in his family to graduate from college with a degree in Engineering Technology. Roodly is interested in issues related to urban poverty and education. Roodly believes that HYPE can support urban youths by providing them an opportunity to obtain and complete a higher education by removing the burdensome financial barriers that many face today. Currently, Roodly works at the Boston Water Sewer Commission as a Geographical Information System Technician. In the future, Roodly hopes to work with the Department of Education to improve the quality of education in the United States. Roodley emboldens "Carpe Diem" as HYPE hits the ground running.

"They needed nets yesterday."

Nothing But Nets returns from distribution initiatives in Uganda where refugees continue to face life threatening challenges. Partnering with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Nothing But Net continues to campaign for more Malaria prevention Nets. 300 to 500 million people per year will become infected with Malaria and sometimes contract Malaria up to EIGHT times Per Year. Malaria IS the pandemic of our time, killing an estimated 1 million young children a year. For just $10 a net will be sold to the United Nations Foundation (manufacturing by A to Z Techtile Miles is sponsored by the Acumen Fund portfolio)
who supports Nothing But Nets to help give a net to a much needed 'red zone'.

Sending Nets Saves Lives.

Student Spotlight: Andy Cabasso

As told by: Andy Cabasso

As an undergrad at Northeastern, I was fortunate enough to take a seminar on microfinance. The seminar introduced me to this sustainable method of poverty alleviation, and I knew after the first class that I wanted to acquire as much knowledge as humanly possible on the subject. As a senior, I was able to develop a thesis and research the effects of microfinance in the Dominican Republic. For the thesis, I traveled to the DR to work with Esperanza International, a microfinance institution. I interviewed their clients - many single mothers, who previously were malnourished, had no sources of income, and were unable to send their children to school. Thanks to the newfound opportunity to access basic financial services, these women were able to feed and educate their children, providing them with a better future. This past summer, Northeastern sent 19 students and 3 faculty members to the DR to see how microfinance works, interview borrowers, and help Esperanza improve its services.

Recently, I was able to create a bank branch with Esperanza thanks to the help of the Honors Program and Social Enterprise Institute. Our bank is located in Ingenio Consuelo, a batey (sugarcane-growing community). On the Dominican bateyes, a population largely comprised of illegal Haitian immigrants works in the fields harvesting sugarcane for around 31 cents an hour. With microfinance, we can supplement the income of families living on the bateyes to help them earn a livable wage.

Today, I’m studying at Fordham Law School, very interested in international and human rights law. During my spring break, I plan on bringing a contingent of law students to the DR to work with microfinance institutions and Fair-Trade cooperatives. My ultimate aspiration is to work with foreign governments that prevent microfinance institutions from operating in their countries, and to ease these restrictions. Some governments are misinformed about the potential for microfinance to help improve quality of life for the poor and I seek to remedy that.

To read Andy's Honor Thesis about poverty alleviation in the Dominican Republic click the following link:

Microfinance Gateway>Poverty Alleviation in the Dominican Republic

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Northeastern Social Enterprise Institute Field Study Summer of 2009

Students traveled to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and worked with students from INTEC, a Dominican University and Esperanza, a micro-finance institution in the area of social entrepreneurship and micro-finance

Northeastern Social Enterprise Institute Field Study Summer of 2009

Students traveled to Cape Town, South Africa and worked with students from TSiBA a South African University to study and consult with social entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise in the surrounding townships.