College and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
Juba helps students discover their strengths, explore career paths, and gain real-world experience through personalized mentorship and hands-on projects with industry professionals.
Students spend years preparing for exams, completing assignments, and working toward graduation. But many still face a fundamental question:
What do I want to do with my future, and how do I get there?
Academic achievement is important. But building a meaningful future also requires self-discovery, professional exposure, practical experience, and relationships.
Juba helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and the real world.
Every student moves through the same four stages. Where they start depends on them.
Discover strengths, passions, and potential career paths.
Build a personalized roadmap with clear goals and guidance.
Work alongside industry professionals on meaningful projects that develop real skills.
Turn those experiences into stronger resumes, applications, professional connections, and future opportunities.
Juba works with students from middle school through college and post-grad, including recent graduates working toward their first full-time role.
I have interests, but I’m not sure what I want to do.
For students who need exposure to different fields and guidance identifying their strengths.
I know what interests me, but I don’t know how to get started.
For students ready to gain experience, build skills, and learn from professionals in their chosen field.
I want to stand out and prepare for what’s next.
For high school, college, and post-grad students looking to strengthen their resumes, build professional relationships, and prepare for college, internships, and career opportunities.
Students leave Juba with work they can point to. Here’s what that looks like.
Student deliverable: AutoCAD wall design
Designed a gravity retaining wall with a civil engineer at Stantec, running the overturning, sliding, and bearing-pressure checks real engineers use, then drafted the design in AutoCAD and presented it.
Built a technical engineering project and drew on the experience in his college essays.
Student deliverable: multifamily investment memo
Torn between consulting and real estate, Mamadou explored both through conversations with professionals, chose commercial real estate, and built a full investment memo on an 8-unit multifamily property in Chicago, with market analysis, underwriting, risk mitigation, and upside scenarios, which he presented to industry professionals.
A real estate private equity internship and an expanded professional network.
Student deliverable: Chipotle financial model
Knew he liked finance but not which direction. Through research and conversations with professionals he discovered investment banking, built a financial model on Chipotle, including a three-year historical income statement, operating assumptions, a 2026 forecast, and a free cash flow model with a full investment thesis, and presented it to Blackstone private equity professionals.
An internship at Jasco Philanthropies and an expanded professional network.
Student deliverable: revenue cycle analysis
Built an executive analysis of a regional medical center’s financial health, tracing a $2.1M monthly loss to claim denials, breaking down the causes by reason, department, and payer, and recommending targeted fixes with a 90-day rollout plan and KPI targets.
An optimized resume and LinkedIn profile, a presented project, and a networking plan toward a healthcare internship.
Real Juba students.
Tutors improve grades. Coaches give advice. Juba pairs your child with a working professional in the field they want to explore, and they build something real together.
Every student gets a personalized plan, one-on-one sessions with a mentor from their field of interest, a real project they can show colleges and employers, and accountability check-ins between sessions. The outcome is not a better test score; it is direction, a tangible piece of work, and a professional network they did not have before.
Every student is paired with a personal mentor and follows a 16-week plan built around their goals. Families choose the pace that fits them.
Sponsored and partner-funded spots are available for some students. Book a free consultation and we will walk you through options.
Students move through four phases. Discover and plan: explore interests, set goals, get matched with a professional, and build a project plan together. Research and build: gain industry knowledge, develop foundational skills, and start the project. Execute and refine: apply mentor feedback and develop a tangible piece of work. Present and reflect: present the finished project, reflect on career interests, and learn how to use the experience in applications and interviews.
Young professionals from leading firms across finance, consulting, technology, engineering, law, healthcare, and more. They are a few steps ahead of your child professionally, which means their guidance is current, honest, and practical. See a few of them on our Mentors page.
Middle school through college and post-grad, including recent graduates working toward their first full-time role. Students can start at any stage; the goals change as they grow.
Both. Juba is based in the Washington, DC area and meets students in person there, and works with students anywhere virtually.
Clarity about a field (or the knowledge that it is not for them), a completed project they can show colleges and employers, skills specific to that field, a professional relationship with their mentor, and a network they can draw on for internships and beyond.
Juba is a combination of two words. Jua is Swahili for light. Ubuntu is a traditional Nguni Bantu term from Southern Africa that translates to “humanity towards others,” often summarized by the phrase “I am because we are.” Together they describe what we believe: every young person has light in them, and none of us gets where we are going alone.
Whether your child is exploring their interests or already pursuing a specific goal, we’d love to learn more about them and discuss how Juba can help.
Talk About Your ChildCollege and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
Juba connects students with professionals who share their experiences, provide career insight, and guide students through practical learning opportunities.
Here are a few of our mentors. Our mentor network spans many fields, and every student is matched with a professional in the area they want to explore.
Works on bridge and transit structures in New York. A City College of New York engineering graduate and former FHWA Eisenhower Fellow, he has presented his research at the TRB Annual Meeting and speaks to civil engineering students about career paths in the field.
An NYU graduate who founded the Congressional App Challenge’s Debugged podcast and was named a 2022 Computer Science Hero by CSEdWeek. Her work spans software engineering, strategy, and entertainment technology.
Joined J.P. Morgan as an investment banking analyst after interning there during college at the University of San Francisco, and was recently promoted to associate. A Milwaukee native and alum of the MKE Fellows program.
An NYU graduate in psychology with a minor in business, entertainment, media and technology. At PwC she has led competitor brand analysis, produced marketing content reaching 1,000+ leaders, and shaped messaging strategy across client pursuits. At Juba she built the brand identity from the ground up and runs its content, social, and growth marketing.
Our mentors work at companies including
College and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
Real students, real parents, in their own words.
A mother explains why she enrolled her children, Layla shares how her mentor helped her build her business and stay accountable, Kobi talks about sharpening his content creation skills with his mentor, and Mom closes on the peace of mind Juba gives her.
Watch on YouTube“Via the Juba Mentorship program, my son Dash was able to connect with an industry professional in revenue cycling/hospital finance as part of his exploration of careers in that field. His assigned mentor worked with him to condense, edit, and optimize his resume and LinkedIn profile. This was followed by regular discussions of the field and assignments to assess understanding and develop executive function skills. Finally, my son was given a hands-on project assignment and presentation to address a revenue cycle problem and was able to offer solutions and carry on a discussion. Next steps involve enhancing his network to successfully obtain an internship in his field, providing tips for improving his application and interviewing skills.
College coursework and professorial mentorship is of course valuable and necessary, but the Juba mentorship offers an extra edge in further honing in on career goals with solid, practical, and actionable advice to achieve them. I see my son is better organized and gently prodded to move forward as he negotiates his way through his senior year. The Juba program should be considered as an additional and impactful tool in the journey from student to professional.”
“My mentorship with Ibrahim confirmed I want to pursue civil engineering.
“I explored consulting and real estate side by side. Juba helped me find the one that was right for me.
“Juba took me from curious about finance to presenting my own investment thesis to real professionals.
“Juba offers an extra edge in honing in on career goals with solid, practical, and actionable advice. I see my son is better organized and gently prodded to move forward.
DFDarrell, Dash’s father
College and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
A personalized roadmap, an industry mentor, hands-on projects, and steady accountability. Here’s what a student’s experience looks like from the first conversation on.
Four components work together, so students always know what comes next.
Every student’s journey begins with understanding their interests, strengths, goals, and development needs. Together, we create a plan that provides direction and actionable next steps.
Students are paired with mentors who are a few steps ahead of them professionally and can provide relevant guidance, exposure, and insight into their fields of interest.
Students work on meaningful, career-related projects that help them develop practical skills, build confidence, and create tangible work they can showcase.
Through structured meetings, milestones, and ongoing guidance, we help students stay engaged, make progress, and turn their goals into action.
Every student begins with a consultation. We learn about their interests, strengths, goals, and what kind of support would help most. Parents are part of this conversation from the start.
Juba pairs students with real professionals, gives them actual projects to build, and holds them accountable. Students meet with their mentor on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule to set goals, track progress, and work on real career development and networking skills, and every student finishes with professional work they can present to colleges and employers.
Finally, we help students translate what they have done into stronger resumes, college applications, internship searches, and professional relationships.
College and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
Real projects, real skills, real growth. This page will grow as students complete their work with Juba.
My mentorship with Ibrahim confirmed I want to pursue civil engineering.
Determine what kind of engineering is the right path. Build his resume. Create a competitive advantage for college applications.
Lacked career clarity and had limited access to hands-on opportunities. Wanted a tangible experience to add to his resume and college applications.
Through one-on-one mentorship with a civil engineer at Stantec, Kiliyan did real-world engineering work, developed a technical project, and strengthened his problem-solving and presentation skills.
Built a technical engineering project and drew on the experience in his college essays.
From Kiliyan’s final presentation: AutoCAD design of his retaining wallI explored consulting and real estate side by side. Juba helped me find the one that was right for me.
Choose between consulting and real estate with confidence, then build real experience in his chosen field.
Torn between two very different career paths, with no direct access to professionals in either one.
Explored both fields through conversations with professionals, chose commercial real estate, and presented his project to industry professionals.
A real estate private equity internship and an expanded professional network.
From Mamadou’s memo: investment snapshot for an 8-unit Chicago multifamilyJuba took me from curious about finance to presenting my own investment thesis to real professionals.
Explore finance broadly, find the right path within it, and build real experience before recruiting season.
Knew he liked finance but not which direction, and had limited access to professionals or hands-on work to stand out.
Discovered investment banking through research and conversations with professionals, then presented his thesis to Blackstone private equity professionals.
An internship at Jasco Philanthropies and an expanded professional network.
From Nate’s analysis: Chipotle historical income statement, 2023–2025Exploring careers in revenue cycle and hospital finance during his senior year at NYU.
Dash’s mentor started by helping him condense and optimize his resume and LinkedIn profile, then moved into regular discussions of the field and assignments to build understanding and executive function skills. For his hands-on project, Dash analyzed six months of claim data for a regional medical center, where denials had risen 93% since January and cost $2.1M in June alone. He broke the denials down by reason, department, and payer, identified the top causes (new payer requirements, new coding staff, and inconsistent eligibility checks), and recommended three fixes: targeting high-dollar prior-authorization service lines, redistributing coding tasks, and centralizing the verification process. He laid out a 90-day rollout and the KPIs to measure it, and presented the whole analysis to his mentor.
An optimized resume and LinkedIn profile, a presented revenue cycle project, and a networking plan toward a healthcare internship. In his father’s words: “better organized and gently prodded to move forward.”
From Dash’s final deck: June denials by reasonReal Juba students.
College and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
We believe academic achievement alone does not guarantee career readiness. Students need guidance, exposure, relationships, and practical experience to prepare for their futures.
Juba was founded in the Washington, DC area by Jesiah Matthews, a finance professional who knows firsthand that the right mentor is the key to career and personal growth.
In a world of unanswered cold emails and confusion about finding the right mentor, Juba makes it simple: students are connected directly with professionals who align with their goals and are committed to their growth.
Juba is a combination of two words. Jua is Swahili for light. Ubuntu is a traditional Nguni Bantu term from Southern Africa that translates to “humanity towards others,” often summarized by the phrase “I am because we are.” Together they describe what we believe: every young person has light in them, and none of us gets where we are going alone.
To help every student take the next step toward their professional and personal goals, by turning interests into direction, direction into experience, and experience into opportunity.
Sociology and social entrepreneurship, with the college-wide award for International Engagement.
Taught entrepreneurship workshops for young adults in Ghana and raised seed funding to support their ventures.
Built a career spanning wealth management, private equity, and private credit, and saw firsthand how mentorship and access shape a career.
Built so students get the mentors and real-world exposure he found along the way.
Jadyn built Juba’s brand identity from the ground up and leads its video content, Instagram and LinkedIn presence, and growth marketing across Google Ads, SEO, and analytics. As a management consultant at PwC, she has led competitor brand analysis, produced marketing content reaching 1,000+ leaders, and shaped messaging strategy across client pursuits. An NYU graduate in psychology, she brings a consumer-behavior lens to how people perceive and connect with brands. Based in Washington, DC.
College and career prep through 1-on-1 mentorship.
Schools, nonprofits, and other organizations can bring the Juba experience to the students they serve through partnerships and sponsorships.
Many students never get the chance to meet a professional in the field they are curious about, let alone work on a real project with one. Juba partners with organizations to change that: a sponsor funds the experience, a school or program helps reach students, and Juba runs everything in between.
Offer Juba mentorship as an enrichment program for a cohort of students, with roadmaps, mentors, and projects coordinated alongside your staff.
Integrate career exploration and mentorship into programs you already run for middle school, high school, college, and post-grad students.
Companies and individuals can sponsor Juba experiences for students who would not otherwise have access, and connect their own professionals as mentors.
Juba students have worked with mentors from
An example of what a sponsored partnership looks like.
In 2026, FYGQ partnered with Juba to sponsor students from NYU’s Academic Achievement Program (AAP) in the inaugural FYGQ Career Fellowship: a fully sponsored, highly selective 12-week career accelerator. Juba’s founder and Head of Brand are both AAP alumni, and the fellowship was built to give the next generation of AAP students the experience, skills, and network needed to land internships.
Juba designed and ran the program end to end: recruitment materials, applications and interviews, mentor matching, and the 12-week curriculum. The partner funded the fellowships; the university program helped reach students.
Open to students in any field, selected by application and interview, at no cost to the student.
Tell us about your organization and the students you serve, and we will design something that fits.
Juba