About Us
About You Have A Purpose
Rasheedah Omar founded You Have A Purpose LLC in 2014.
You Have A Purpose was inspired by my personal journey. As the third-oldest of ten siblings, I grew up on Chicago’s South Side in an economically disadvantaged community where attending college often felt like a distant dream. However, with my parents’ encouragement, mentors’ guidance, caring teachers’ support, and access to educational opportunities, I learned to overcome obstacles and challenges.
I became the first person in my family to graduate from college, a first-generation college graduate, turning what once seemed like a dream into a reality. My experience shaped my passion for helping young people from similar backgrounds recognize their potential, pursue higher education, and create opportunities for a successful future.
My passion became even stronger when I began working in higher education. In 2008, I transitioned into the role of Financial Aid Counselor at Nyack College, where I spent more than six years helping students navigate the financial aid process while encouraging them to remain focused on their educational goals and purpose.
During those years, I witnessed firsthand how many students entered college without the academic preparation, resources, or support they needed to succeed. I also saw how changes in federal financial aid regulations could significantly affect students who struggled academically during their first year.
Each semester, approximately 100 students were academically dismissed or placed on academic probation because of poor academic performance. For many of these students, losing their federal financial aid created an additional barrier to continuing their education. Some were left with significant student loan debt, but without the college degree they had hoped to earn.
These experiences opened my eyes to a critical need: students need more than access to college; they need the knowledge, preparation, guidance, and support necessary to succeed once they get there.
That realization became the foundation for You Have A Purpose LLC.
Our mission is rooted in the belief that every student has a purpose and the potential to achieve it. We are committed to providing students with the tools, resources, encouragement, and support they need to navigate their educational journey, overcome obstacles, and build a future they can be proud of.
Your circumstances do not have to determine your future. Your purpose can.
You Have a Purpose
Our Mission
You Have A Purpose LLC is committed to empowering youth to discover and pursue their purpose and goals in life by providing essential social, educational, college-readiness, and mentoring programs to high school students.
We believe that every young person has a purpose, but not every student has access to the tools, resources, guidance, and support needed to achieve it. Through our programs, we help students understand college requirements, develop the academic and personal skills necessary for success, and prepare for the transition from high school to college.
Our goal is to ensure that students are not only prepared to enter college, but equipped to succeed, persist, and earn their degree.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a future where every student—regardless of their background, circumstances, or zip code—has the knowledge, resources, confidence, and support needed to pursue higher education and achieve their full potential.
We envision empowered young people who recognize their purpose, believe they can succeed, and have the tools to turn their educational goals into reality.
We believe every young person has a purpose—and with the right support, they can achieve it.
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