#199 | Building Pathways for Underrepresented College Students with Dara Ashley from Contagious Culture

Contagious Culture

Kyle S. King

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#199 | Building Pathways for Underrepresented College Students with Dara Ashley

35 minutes Posted Jun 30, 2026 at 9:00 am.

— Introduction00:40 — Meet Dara Ashley01:00 — Dara’s mission and infectious spirit01:30 — Closing the access and exposure gap02:30 — Helping students identify what they do not know03:15 — The power of exposure04:00 — Dara’s origin story and early mentorship experience05:00 — Where to start if you want to serve your community06:00 — Former mentees returning as mentors07:15 — Access versus ability08:45 — Why exposure also shows students what they do not want10:00 — Dara’s path into research11:00 — Why leaders must mentor and reach back12:00 — Staying connected to the audience you serve13:00 — What Dara saw missing in the system14:30 — What leaders get wrong about mentorship15:30 — The power of one-on-one mentorship16:00 — What success looks like for Dara17:00 — The ten-year vision for the Dara Ashley Foundation18:00 — Growing into 42 states and going deeper locally19:00 — Leadership U and student-centered program design20:00 — Using data to measure and build impact21:00 — Turning vision into systems and deliverables

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In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dara Ashley, founding executive director of the Dara Ashley Foundation, researcher, and nonprofit leader working to close the access and exposure gap for underrepresented college students.

Dara shares how her own experiences, mentorship, and time at Howard University shaped her passion for helping students see what is possible. She explains why exposure matters, why students cannot pursue opportunities they have never seen, and how mentorship can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.

Kyle and Dara also discuss the difference between access and ability, the power of one-on-one mentorship, data-driven program design, Leadership U, and what it means to build an organization that helps students gain the skills, networks, and confidence they need for life after college.