The Rising Movement, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that has helped low-income students gain admission to prestigious universities for nearly a decade, announced the launch of NCRising to expand its college access model beyond the Charlotte area.
The organization appointed Jennifer Hamilton as director of the new statewide initiative, according to a February 19 announcement. NCRising will operate as a sister program to the existing CLTRising, which will continue serving students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
“We have confidence that the model we built in Charlotte can be successfully replicated statewide to serve as an example of what intentional, 1-on-1 support can provide,” said Elizabeth Magan, co-founder of The Rising Movement. “By launching NCRising, we can ensure that geography is not a barrier to the kind of high-touch mentorship that helps students meet and exceed requirements for competitive colleges.”
The Rising Movement was founded by Matt and Elizabeth Magan and has operated CLTRising in the Charlotte area for almost a decade. The program currently serves over 30 juniors and seniors across multiple local high schools, providing services typically available only to affluent families.
Both CLTRising and NCRising offer personalized one-on-one college admissions advising, high-rigor SAT and ACT tutoring, and comprehensive mentorship to help low-income students navigate admission to selective universities. The programs target high-achieving students from households with economic need.
CLTRising graduates have gained admission to prestigious institutions including Dartmouth College, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Georgetown, and the University of Pennsylvania, according to the organization.
Hamilton brings extensive experience in early talent development to her new role, having previously supported over 500 alumni in navigating corporate tech roles and career coaching.
“Our goal is to find superstar students from households in economic need who would benefit from the services that affluent students receive to prep for their college application journey,” Hamilton said. “We seek to empower families and build support networks that ensure students thrive, regardless of their zip code.”
The expansion addresses geographic barriers that prevent students outside the Charlotte area from accessing intensive college preparation support. Traditional college preparatory services often concentrate in urban areas, leaving rural and smaller community students with fewer resources.
NCRising is currently recruiting its inaugural classes of current sophomores and juniors for the Spring 2026 cohort. Applications opened February 15 and will close April 1, according to the announcement.
The program model emphasizes the same caliber of college advising and tutoring found in the private sector, ensuring financial barriers do not prevent high-achieving students from reaching their potential. The organization operates as a nonprofit dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for low-income students and families.
The statewide expansion represents a significant scaling effort for The Rising Movement, which has refined its approach through years of work in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. The organization’s success in placing students at competitive universities demonstrates the effectiveness of intensive, personalized support for college-bound students from low-income backgrounds.
Hamilton can be reached at [email protected] for more information about NCRising. Additional details are available at www.cltrising.com.
The Rising Movement operates under the names CLTRising and NCRising, maintaining its focus on academic success programming that provides comprehensive support for North Carolina students pursuing higher education at selective institutions.
