--- title: Celebrating 4 Years of Partnership with Uncommon Charter Schools description: Discover how Curious Cardinals’ partnership with Uncommon Schools empowers students through near-peer mentorship, passion projects, and real-world skills. image: https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-10-29%20at%206.37.44%20PM-1.png --- [![cc-logo-black-1](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cc-logo-black-1.png?width=173&height=57&name=cc-logo-black-1.png "cc-logo-black-1")](https://www.curiouscardinals.com/) Open main menu Close main menu [partnerships](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/partnerships) [high school](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/high-school) # Celebrating 4 Years of Partnership with Uncommon Charter Schools ![CC Team](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) [CC Team](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/author/cc-team) [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/celebrating-4-years-of-partnership-with-uncommon-charter-schools) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/celebrating-4-years-of-partnership-with-uncommon-charter-schools) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/celebrating-4-years-of-partnership-with-uncommon-charter-schools) ![](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-10-29%20at%206.37.44%20PM-1.png) In our fourth year of partnership with [Uncommon charter schools,](https://uncommonschools.org/) Curious Cardinals mentors worked with students to build passion projects, develop real-world skills, and discover possible paths that align with their dreams, goals, and interests. Through Curious Cardinals’ innovative project-based model, students were able to explore their passions, gain hands-on experience, and validate their options for the future, all with the guidance and support of an inspiring near-peer mentor. It is our pleasure to celebrate another successful cohort of Uncommon students whose lives have been positively impacted by their Curious Cardinals experience. ### About Uncommon [Uncommon Schools](https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncommon-schools/) is a network of high-performing charter schools serving low-income, urban communities. 97% of Uncommon students identify as Black or Latino, 15% of students get special education support, and approximately 7% are English Language Learners. Uncommon Schools are a [The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thebroadfoundation/) Broad Prize winner with a college admissions rate of 96% since 1997. In the past three years, an incredible 74 Uncommon seniors have received full Questbridge scholarships – making Uncommon students 1% of all winners nationally. Our ties with Uncommon run deep and wide, thanks to our ongoing, fruitful relationship with [Uncommon Schools Newark](https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncommon-schools-newark/) Program Director, Mike Taubman. It is truly an honor to work with such an impactful organization. ### How it Works As Mr. Taubman likes to say, “It was a match made in heaven,”; an educator in search of near-peer mentorship opportunities for their students, and an organization that specializes in developing the best network of near-peer mentors possible. Each cohort, the program director shares the kinds of careers and topics their students are interested in with our team. We then pick the perfect mentor for each student based on shared interests, background, and personality. Mentors meet with students 1x per week for 4-6 weeks, first sharing their own journey, then guiding students on theirs. Meetings take place during school hours, for both convenience and focus. At the end of the program, students will have a completed passion project they can develop further, add to college applications, and share with others. As the saying goes, “you can’t be what you can’t see.” A mentor shows students what paths are possible, because they’ve been in their shoes and walked a similar path. The hands-on passion project makes it feel achievable, a taste-test for the future. Motivated and inspired, the students take that direction and momentum and make their dreams a reality. ### Real-World Impact Hear from students in their own words how their Curious Cardinals mentorship has helped them. ### Z.’s Story Between AP classes and competitive sports, ambitious junior, Z., spends his time dreaming about a future as an entrepreneur. Before meeting with his mentor, Bartolome E., Z. was sure he wanted to dabble in all kinds of business-related ventures, but didn’t have a concrete plan to make any of it real. The pair started by exploring Z.’s areas of interest (real estate, business marketing, and property management), and choosing one area that stood out most to focus on: business marketing. From there, they worked through fundamentals – how to pitch, how to bring products to audiences, and how to hold someone’s attention long enough to actually close the sale. Z. says, “It became how do you approach people and convince them you’re the one, that you stand out?” Bartolome then helped him apply the fundamentals he was learning across all his interests. He realized that he needed to lock in and strategize thoughtfully. “You can't just jump into every category of business. Like, I can't just immediately start doing real estate business marketing, property management. Yeah, I start with one or another. So \[Bartolome\] really helped me break it down into one thing that I really want to do, the one that stands out the most. And I took that and worked on that for majority of the time and then used those skills from that that he was basically teaching me to apply to the other ones and really like, you know, bring everything full circle.” Z. then reached out to local businesses asking if he could build them a website. This exercise gave him a chance to try out his pitching skills, and gauge his marketing approach in real time. Out of the businesses Z. approached, 5 of them hired him to build their websites. Using a suite of AI tools combined with hands-on design, Z. has already completed two of them. He charged each client $500, making a total of $2,500, which he plans to use to save up for his first property. Through their sessions, Bartolome not only helped Z. hone in on an area of focus, but helped him develop fundamental business skills he’d need to succeed. By the time their mentorship concluded, Z. didn’t just have a completed passion project, he created a solid roadmap to the future he’s always imagined. “It was really detailed how he helped me see what I needed to do,” Z shares. “I didn't know how I was going to pay for college. Now I know I want to go into the National Guard. I want to use the GI Bill and I want to attend [Texas State University](https://www.linkedin.com/school/texas-state-university/). I’m \[going to\] use the money I get from the military to put down on my first home and use the equity to rent out other homes.” ### E.’s Story An accomplished and outgoing student, E. has no shortage of interests, strengths, *or* passion – she’s in [Model United Nations](https://www.linkedin.com/company/modelun/), manager of her soccer team, interning for both the Dean and a physical therapy practice, and part of several clubs. Still, she needed help narrowing focus, building better study habits, and feeling more confident in her career aspirations. Working with her mentor, Aarya M., was just the boost she needed. She says she was nervous at first, having never met Aarya before; but any hesitation quickly evaporated when they began talking about their shared passion for the medical field. "Working with somebody that's closer to my age, it made me feel comfortable because I feel like we have so much things to relate, especially since he also wants to do pre-med.” The first session, Aarya focused on building a rapport with E., learning what she’s into, and brainstorming ideas. At first, E. had seemingly opposing interests: medical explorations like ophthalmology and anesthesiology, cosmetology, and engineering. Aarya challenged her to pursue a passion project that could blend her interests together: designing a pair of eyeglass frames from scratch. E. sketched out a prototype, and, with Aarya’s guidance, connected with her school’s CAD instructor. She plans to build the frames in her school's CAD lab and get them reviewed by a local optometrist. Aarya not only supported and guided E., but challenged her to think bigger. "I didn't think I wanted to create frames at first," she said. "It really taught me how to go outside the box." E. recalls, “He made me feel comfortable enough to express how I want my career to be.” And when E. shared that she sometimes struggles with focus, Aarya didn’t judge, he shared his own tips for studying, developing confidence, and staying centered. Aarya also helped E. think through what the journey to becoming a doctor would look like. E. says that he helped her realize what a commitment it would be, what the year-to-year process could be, and how empathy is at the core of any type of medical practice. Now confident that ophthalmology is the right path, E. reflects on her Curious Cardinals experience as a unique chance to learn from someone closer to her own age. “I feel like with older people you have to kind of explain more. But with somebody closer to your age, you're able to like, express how you feel and not feel judged.” E.’s Curious Cardinals mentorship made such an impression, by the end of the program, she was already asking how she can become a CC mentor when she goes to college! ### Bring Curious Cardinals to Your School For students like Z. and E., Curious Cardinals mentorship is a life-changing experience. Our program produces demonstrated results each year, and we’re eager to bring the power of near-peer mentorship to more schools. ### Comments Comments settings   - ![](https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/8ekq8gho1ruaf8i7f86vd1ftt)![](https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/3wqhxqtk2l554o70ur3kessf1)2 - - 2 comments ![](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E03AQFo_N2M-6F81w/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/B4EZPSjIzhHAAU-/0/1734404247139?e=1785974400&v=beta&t=8Kxz6iqm14bLNIpIZy1xBdoz2pNrSGOPFrJaqHhF0Pg) ![](https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/5zhd32fqi5pxwzsz78iui643e)Like Comment Share       Add a comment… Open Emoji Keyboard Current selected sort order is Most recentMost recent   [![](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E03AQFo_N2M-6F81w/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/B4EZPSjIzhHAAU-/0/1734404247139?e=1785974400&v=beta&t=8Kxz6iqm14bLNIpIZy1xBdoz2pNrSGOPFrJaqHhF0Pg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-wisch) ### [Audrey Wisch • You CEO of Curious Cardinals | Forbes 30 Under 30 | We’re hiring!](https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-wisch) 4s   Wouldn't have been possible without [Sophie Pelletier](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-pelletier22/)'s leadership! Like   Reply [![](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E03AQFo_N2M-6F81w/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/B4EZPSjIzhHAAU-/0/1734404247139?e=1785974400&v=beta&t=8Kxz6iqm14bLNIpIZy1xBdoz2pNrSGOPFrJaqHhF0Pg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-wisch) ### [Audrey Wisch • You CEO of Curious Cardinals | Forbes 30 Under 30 | We’re hiring!](https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-wisch) 2m   So proud of this partnership! 💛✏️ Like   Reply   ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/hubfs/Two%20peas%20in%20a%20pod%20Abrar%20(mentor)%20and%20Sandra%20(mentee).png)](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/you-already-know-your-passion-how-can-a-mentor-help) [student journey](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/student-journey) [government](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/government) [passion journey](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/passion-journey) [pre-law](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/pre-law) ### [You Already Know Your Passion - How Can a Mentor Help?](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/you-already-know-your-passion-how-can-a-mentor-help) There are some students who already know exactly what they are passionate about. They’ve got a packed schedule of activities surrounding a certain interest, and are... [Curious Cardinals](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/author/curious-cardinals) [Read More](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/you-already-know-your-passion-how-can-a-mentor-help) [![](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/hubfs/Student%20v1-5.png)](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/are-your-kids-ignoring-your-advice) [student confidence](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/student-confidence) [passion journey](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/passion-journey) [parenting inspiration](https://blog.curiouscardinals.com/tag/parenting-inspiration) ### [Are Your Kids Ignoring Your Advice? 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