Our goal is to offer district-wide programming focused on college, career, and life readiness. We currently have partnerships with six Boston Public Schools. Two of the six schools are located in Roxbury, MA, within walking distance of each other. Knowing this, we hosted our first Career Expo at a venue in the area. The event featured many local business owners and was catered by popular restaurant in the area. As we expand, our goal is to build upon and replicate this community-centric model. Ideally, we want to partner with 3-4 schools in every Boston neighborhood, exposing students there to diverse professionals from the community.

Team

Sara Kittle (Wroblewski)

CEO & Founder

Reynaldo Benzan-Martinez

Senior Program Director

Kathryn Bateman

Program Director

Youth Voice

We put our students first—their voices, their ideas, and their ambitions.

Community

We commit to reflect, engage, and uplift the communities that we serve.

Empathy

We are humans. Relationships are complicated. In our roles as mentors, partners, colleagues, &/or friends, we practice empathy.

Humility

We stay hungry (for feedback). We are ever evolving and evaluating our work.

History

After graduating from college in 2013, Sara Kittle (Wroblewski) moved to Boston and founded One Bead, a nonprofit offering entrepreneurial leadership programming to students in grades 6-8.

By the start of 2020, Sara had three full-time employees and partnerships with seven Boston Public Schools. Then, the pandemic hit. One Bead pivoted, launching a virtual interview series that connected youth with diverse leaders on Zoom. The series quickly gained traction, doubling One Bead’s impact in just two years. When schools reopened, principals requested One Bead expand the initiative by inviting leaders directly into classrooms.

One Bead’s programming in schools has since become central to the non-profit's mission. With guidance from teachers, each interview is thoughtfully designed to bring classroom curriculum to life and encourage community-building between students.

Supplemented with online and community-based initiatives, One Bead's programming in schools is enhancing the educational experience for youth in Boston, empowering them to realize their full potential in school and beyond.