Nov 4, 2025
Why We Started Compass
Coleman Warren
Founder & Co-Director
As I reflect on my life so far, I’m deeply grateful for the teachers, mentors, family members, and friends who supported me along the way. I also recognize my immense privilege. I grew up with two parents who went to college and knew how to navigate the world of standardized testing and higher education. They invested in their children’s education with the belief that it would open doors. It did. Not every student has that kind of support or access. In rural places, especially, too many students face the barriers of affordability, information, and opportunity.
That’s why we started the Compass Foundation. Today, we’re investing in the lives of 24 bright students in Farmington, Arkansas, and Kimball, Nebraska: offering financial support, mentorship, and a curriculum designed to develop community-oriented leaders who can navigate an ever-changing world with confidence after high school. We’re building a model that distributes social capital to rural places at scale, fostering community optimism while investing in the next generation.
We’ve already seen success. My first mentee, Karla Lopez, was part of our inaugural cohort in Farmington and graduated from high school this past May. When we first met, she said, “I want to attend college, but I’m not sure that’s possible or where to even begin.” Today, she’s attending the University of Arkansas on a full scholarship, working toward her dream of becoming a lawyer. Karla was always the author of her own success. Compass simply equipped her with knowledge, encouragement, and a network that believed in her.
Stories like Karla’s are multiplying. Our students are achieving their goals and giving back along the way. Two current Scholars, Mackenzie Hayes and Ama Duncan, launched a new HOSA chapter at Farmington High School to expand access to health-care pathways. As Northwest Arkansas grows, their initiative helps ensure our communities will have the health professionals they need tomorrow. These students are already eager to share their learnings with the next generation, the heart of our program’s transformative impact: a community that will continue to grow and give back over the coming decades.
I waited to share this project publicly because Compass must be bigger than my story. It’s about our story: rural communities coming together to support their young people and, in the process, learning from one another. It’s been a joy to work alongside our team, the dedicated teachers in our partner schools, and the incredible students we serve.
We’ve designed a model that is low-cost yet deeply impactful, and we want to share it and grow it. We aim to expand our efforts across the American Heartland. Here’s how you can help:
Donate — Every dollar directly supports rural students and their mentors.
Volunteer — Mentor a scholar, speak on a career or college panel, or just share with our team about what you wish you’d known on your path out of high school.
Connect — Reach out if you’d like to bring Compass to your community (like Braden Bateman who is launching a pilot at County Line High School).
Share — Tell your friends and family; even if you’re not from a rural place, you probably love someone who is.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has made this work possible. Your time, energy, wisdom, and support have already changed lives. You are sowing the seeds of a brighter future for our country, and I’m humbled by your faith in something greater than all of us.