AI-Enhanced Flash Mentoring for Young Women's Career Advancement

Young women from marginalized backgrounds lack the professional networks that drive career advancement. Step Up's flash mentoring platform connects young women with pre-screened professional mentors for brief, targeted conversations. This project adds AI-enhanced intelligent matching and evidence-based mentor support, drawing on peer-reviewed research on mentoring, women's career development, and social capital. The human-at-the-helm approach scales access to authentic mentoring relationships without replacing human connection, reaching 2,500 young women over two years.