The in-person event celebrated Spelman students who recently completed a capstone project, recognized winning teams and served to deepen students’ exposure to career pathways, leadership insights and real-world professional environments.

Pathward®, N.A., a national bank focused on financial access, joined Braven to co-host the Braven Winners’ Trek for Spelman College students who completed the Braven Capstone Challenge. The Challenge is a hands-on design-thinking project that asks students to tackle a real-world issue through research, collaboration and practical problem-solving. The in-person event aimed to deepen students’ exposure to career pathways, leadership insights and real-world professional environments.

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Pathward joined Braven to co-host the Braven Winners’ Trek for Spelman College students who completed the Braven Capstone Challenge. The in-person event celebrated Spelman students who recently completed a capstone project, recognized winning teams and served to deepen students’ exposure to career pathways, leadership insights and real-world professional environments.

“Pathward’s role as a sponsor bank powering unique banking products and services is inspired by our purpose of powering financial inclusion and access,” said Pathward President Anthony Sharett. “We know from our research that Gen Z is optimistic about their financial futures and are proud to partner with organizations like Braven and Spelman College to engage with bright representatives from this generation and see what ideas they have when challenged to think critically about real-world scenarios.”

“Braven is one of our strategic community partners that we work with year round to empower economic mobility and provide educational support to college students,” said Pathward’s Senior Vice President of Communications, Sustainability and Public Policy, Catherine McGlown. “We were impressed by the students’ capstone projects and enjoyed interacting with them throughout the Challenge and at the Winners’ Trek event.”

“Pathward has been a great partner to Braven since launching in Atlanta four years ago, and we were thrilled when they offered to sponsor the Braven Capstone Challenge at Spelman College,” said Braven Executive Director for Atlanta, Ché Watkins. “Braven works with the College to help students prepare for their journey from student to professional, and we appreciate the ongoing alliance as we work collaboratively to support the students on their road to financial independence.”

Braven Capstone Challenge

The Braven Capstone Challenge was the culminating experience of the Braven Accelerator—an academic and career readiness course required for Spelman College sophomores. Over five weeks, 365 Fellows worked in teams to solve a real-world business challenge using design thinking, research and collaborative problem-solving.

Pathward’s Role as 2025–26 Capstone Sponsor

Pathward served as this year’s Capstone sponsor, providing the core Challenge statement and supporting students through multiple touchpoints, including interviews, insights and leadership presence throughout the experience. Pathward also shared insights from a survey conducted among Gen Zers.

Students were challenged to examine financial access gaps, trust issues among young consumers and the need for credible, community rooted solutions that empower underserved populations.

Empathy Panel Participation

To help Fellows ground their solutions in real-world context, Pathward leaders joined Braven’s empathy panels—live, student-led interviews moderated by Braven. The sessions enabled students to ask direct questions about financial inclusion, industry challenges, customer trust and the nuances of serving Gen Z in banking deserts.

Winners’ Trek: Pathward Hosted Celebration and Career Experience

Following the completion of all Capstone submissions, two winning teams were selected. Pathward co-hosted the Braven Winners’ Trek, an in-person event designed to deepen students’ exposure to career pathways, leadership insights and real-world professional environments. The afternoon included networking and a career-focused panel featuring Pathward employees. The event highlights Pathward’s commitment to social impact, talent development and community advancement within the Atlanta market.

Learn more about Pathward’s Community Impact Program at https://www.pathward.com/about-us/sustainability/.

About Pathward®

Pathward®, N.A., a national bank, is a subsidiary of Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH). Pathward is focused on financial access and strives to increase financial availability, choice and opportunity across our Partner Solutions and Commercial Finance business lines. The strategic business lines provide support to individuals and businesses. Learn more at Pathward.com.

About Braven

Founded in 2013, Braven empowers promising college students with the skills, networks, confidence, and experience necessary to transition from college to a strong first job. Braven is embedded within lower-resourced colleges and universities and partners with employers to build cutting-edge career education into the undergraduate experience. To date, Braven has served more than 15,000 Fellows nationwide across 12 sites, and Fellows are persisting in college and achieving exciting levels of internship and job attainment.

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