Durham AIM’s Impact on the Community and Beyond

AIM Coaches, Herman McGhee (left) and Ishaan Brar (right), during an advising session with a Jordan High student. 

The college application process can be overwhelming. It can be super hard to navigate where to start with so many things to check off the to-do list before application portals even open. The Duke student-founded and led organization, Durham AIM, is paving a new pathway of understanding the college application process for local Durham high school students. Their mission is rooted in the belief that every student, regardless of their background, deserves the opportunity to pursue higher education and realize their full potential. Durham AIM seeks to bridge college application knowledge gaps by sending Duke students, referred to as AIM Coaches, into area high schools to provide support and mentorship in a one-on-one setting. 

"Having a college student from Duke University mentor my sophomores is incredibly valuable because it gives them a real-life connection to college success and motivation,” shares Jessica Odom, Jordan High School educator. “Many of my students are the first in their families to consider higher education, so hearing directly from a college student who has navigated the process makes college feel more real and achievable. I’ve watched these relationships build confidence in my students, inspire and increase their curiosity about college life, and help my sophomores see that they, too, belong in those spaces of higher learning." 

Ishaan Brar, a Duke alum (Trinity ’25) and current Duke graduate student, worked alongside fellow Duke student Grace Wang (Trinity ’26) to create the vision for the AIM Program. 

“Our focus is on individual mentorship and guidance for students all across high school, so 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders,” notes Brar. “When we made Durham AIM, we found that a vast majority of resources were only for students who were seniors. A college application is really meant to be built over time, so we matched high school students from all grades with a Duke AIM Coach to help guide them with the college application process throughout their four years of high school.” 

Durham AIM is supported by Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Education’s Carolina’s Initiative, which similarly aims to strengthen Duke’s relationships with the broader Carolina region. In partnership with Advise NC at Duke University and the AVID Program, the AIM Coaches began their post-secondary mentorship in Durham high schools in the spring of 2025.  

Jeremiah Walker, Program Director for Recruitment and Enrollment at the Duke Carolinas Initiative and the advisor of the Durham AIM program, shares his thoughts on the importance of post-secondary mentorship. “This program is powerful because it brings together the expertise of Duke students with the aspirations of local students navigating the college admissions process,” stated Walker. “It is one of the many vital pieces that highlight Duke’s deep commitment to the Carolinas—and especially to our home community of Durham.” 

With a presence in Jordan High School and Riverside High School, AIM Coaches meet with the same high school students every other week, during the school day. The Coaches’ approaches and guidance differ depending on the student’s grade level.  

“The goal is to educate them about what this four-year timeline should look like, what higher education is and why it’s a feasible option, how it can be affordable, and why it’s something they might want to pursue,” explains Wang.  “And then throughout the process, we help them out with study advice and academic performance, because obviously that's something relevant to all four years of high school.” 

Although there is an AIM Coach timeline and curriculum in place to guide Durham’s high school students during different phases of their post-secondary education journey, not every meeting is formulaic in nature. Each student has their own set of priorities, lived experiences, and backgrounds, and the AIM Coaches have taken this into account when advising and connecting with their students.  

“Students come in with their own interests, their own ideas, and for us, that means our job is to be a mentor,” said Brar. “We help them see that a lot of their goals, dreams, and ideas are actually aspirations that they can achieve.” 

In the process of creating Durham AIM, it was determined that one of the main pillars of the program was accessibility; it needed to be as accessible as possible to all students. The meetings between the students and the AIM Coaches happens during regular school hours, as it was recognized that not every student would be able to get to school early or stay after.  

“I come from a low-income background, so when I see another student who comes from a low-income background who may not have all the opportunities that other students have—it's motivating for me,” shares AIM Coach and Duke sophomore, Herman McGhee. “I’m able to show them that just because you're low-income, it doesn't mean that you don't have the same ability as these other students to flourish in higher education. Duke can be a viable option for you.”