Citi and College Summit: Why our work together matters.

It was an honor to host Citi Foundation President and CEO Pam Flaherty at two very important College Summit events in Denver recently. First was a school visit, followed by a forum held by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan that put a focus on the role corporate volunteers can play to get more students on the path to college.

Pictured: Pam Flaherty, Citi Foundation, and Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

Citi has been a strong partner in supporting College Summit in our goal to help low income and first-generation students across the country see that post-secondary education is a real option, no matter their background or circumstances. At the forum, Pam discussed our joint efforts on a wide range of financial aid education and financial planning activities, highlighting how corporate America and non-profits can work together to help our high schools create a college-going culture.

Secretary Duncan echoed her remarks at the event, which included local school officials, community leaders, parents and students. "Public schools, as hard as they are working, can't do this alone," he said. "We have to have public-private partnerships; we have to have the philanthropic community, the business community as part of the solution; we have to have great parents; we have to have great teachers. All of us have a role to play."

Earlier that morning, we were thrilled to have Pam visit one of our partner schools, York International, in the greater Denver area. We met school officials and staff before watching a class activity led by a College Opportunities coach on college-planning milestones that students have completed or are working to complete. The heartfelt stories that the students shared on both their successes and pitfalls were inspiring.

As President of College Summit, it was humbling for me to spend time with Pam and hear Citi's commitment to our cause. She also spoke movingly about the many successful examples of first-generation college-goers, including her husband and father. We at College Summit value Citi's commitment to our mission, and look forward to many more years of working together to make an impact on our country's future by making college-going the norm in America.

Corporate giving is often seen through the lens of proposals and reports, but our day in Denver was an opportunity to connect the support to some of the 25,000 students we're now helping and see why our work together matters.

For more about the day in Denver, visit the College Summit website at www.collegesummit.org