One of the most common misconceptions in education and youth development is that we lack programs for young people. In reality, as the CEO of the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) recently put it, we don’t have a lack of programs — we have a lack of coordination.
That insight captures something Math Corps has believed for more than three decades: real impact happens when opportunities don’t exist in isolation, but instead connect into a continuum that supports students as they grow.
A powerful example of this idea was shared recently by NSLA’s CEO during a public conversation, where she highlighted a Math Corps success story that illustrates what alignment can make possible.
From Detroit to a National Stage
Zion and Nabilah are college students who began their journeys in the Wayne State University Math Corps program in Detroit. Like thousands of Math Corps students before them, they experienced rigorous mathematics instruction paired with mentoring, responsibility, and a strong sense of belonging.
Because Math Corps and NSLA are aligned in mission and values, Zion and Nabilah were recommended by Math Corps to NSLA for summer opportunities. That alignment mattered. It allowed the students to move seamlessly from a Detroit-based math enrichment program into leadership and work experiences connected to a national coalition.
During her remarks, the NSLA CEO described what happened next: after just ten weeks of summer work, Nabilah received her first full-time job offer. Today, she is working for her U.S. Center back in Detroit — continuing the cycle of opportunity in the same community where her journey began.
This is not an accident, and it is not luck. It is the result of intentional coordination.
Why Alignment Matters
Too often, students encounter what feels like a series of disconnected opportunities: a strong summer program here, an internship there, a short-term experience that ends just as momentum builds. Without coordination, even excellent programs can leave gaps that students must navigate on their own.
What the NSLA–Math Corps partnership demonstrates is a different model — one in which organizations see themselves as part of a larger ecosystem, responsible not just for their individual programs, but for how students move between them.
We are grateful to NSLA for recognizing this work and for lifting up the students who remind us why this mission matters. Their success belongs to them, to Detroit, and to the educators and partners who believe in what’s possible when alignment is treated as strategy.