Our Origin Story
Launch Mentorship developed as an idea when Eric Licona and Fares Ali (Co-CEOs) became frustrated at the resources and mentoring that was offered to them at their former high school.
As Eric and Fares entered Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt University, they saw the result of proper mentorship and resource allocation.
Many of their peers at their post-secondary institutions came from communities where they enjoyed an abundance of support and investment from their teachers/parents to help prepare them for the institutions they are at today. These are luxuries that many first-generation and low-income high school graduates do not always have access to.
New Environment, New Attitude
That's why when Eric and Fares became surrounded by like-minded individuals at their respective institutions, they decided to send out applications to form the LAUNCH Executive Board.
At Vanderbilt, a group of student volunteers joined the team having shared many of the same experiences in high school and held a similar passion for change as Fares and Eric.
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Turning Dreams into a Reality
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After originally setting out to be a school organization, the eight founders revamped their idea in order to reach a wider audience and in turn, transformed Launch into a non-profit.
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Since then, the board has been working tirelessly to solidify its non-profit status and launch its product line and services to benefit the greater Nashville Area.
