Our Mission
To empower and motivate underserved high schoolers and young adults to unlock their potential and build meaningful careers through mentorship, real-world career and industry exposure, and direct access to CEOs and their teams.
Our Vision
We help underserved young adults discover their strengths, build confidence, and find motivation. Then we connect them with employers offering career pathways, growth opportunities, and often tuition support. As they succeed, they create a ripple effect in their communities.
Founder's Vision
Herb Cohen, Founder & Executive Director
Herb Cohen founded Real World Leaders with a simple but powerful belief: every young person deserves to see what's possible. By connecting underserved youth directly with CEOs and business leaders, RWL creates the exposure, confidence, and connections that transform lives and communities.
Under Herb's leadership, RWL has grown to connect over 4,500 youth with more than 1,000 CEOs, creating a scalable model that can be replicated nationwide.
The Ripple Effect
One youth connection impacts entire communities. Students who gain confidence and career direction through RWL return to mentor future participants, creating a self-sustaining cycle of empowerment and opportunity.
Our Scalable, Cost-Effective Model
The Problem
- Over 230,000 youth in Greater Philadelphia are underserved
- Fewer than 5% have access to competitive programs
- Most lack exposure to real career paths
- School counselors are overwhelmed
- After-school engagement is low
Our Solution
RWL connects students with career and life-skills exposure through a network of 11,000+ CEOs and hundreds of thousands of professionals.
Our Zoom-based model eliminates geographic barriers, keeps costs low, and scales efficiently across partner organizations nationwide.
RWL Aims To
Help students discover who they can be, not what they should do
Expose youth to diverse career opportunities while building critical life skills
Create a lasting impact where students return to mentor future participants (ripple effect)
Establish a network of successful CEOs and RWL alumni through mentorship, ongoing participation, and professional workshops
Our Team
Herb Cohen
Founder & Executive Director
Team Member 2
Director of Programs
Team Member 3
CEO Relations Manager
Team Member 4
Youth Programs Coordinator
Team Member 5
Marketing & Communications
Team Member 6
Operations Manager