College admissions
Personal essays, school selection, financial aid, and the unspoken parts of applying — especially for first-generation applicants.
Mentorship for LGBTQ+ students in STEM
Brilliant minds deserve mentors who see them.
Rainbow Academics connects LGBTQ+ students with STEM mentors who understand their experiences, helping them navigate academic and professional paths with confidence.
Our mission
A mentor can change the entire shape of a career.
For LGBTQ+ students entering STEM, identity-aligned mentorship is rare — and transformative. Rainbow Academics exists to make it the default, not the exception.
We recruit graduate students, researchers, and industry professionals from across the country, then carefully match them with high school and college students navigating admissions, coursework, research, and the everyday reality of being out in technical fields.
What we do
Three pillars of support.
Every match is grounded in shared identity and shared field. From there, mentorship takes the shape each student needs.
Academic support
Course planning, problem sets, research opportunities, and study strategies tailored to each student's program.
Professional development
Internships, networks, navigating identity at work, and long-horizon career strategy from people who've walked the path.
Impact
A national community, growing every cohort.
200+
Students served nationally
30+
Mentors across academia and industry
500+
Mentorship sessions each year
In 2023, Rainbow Academics secured Pride Network grant funding to expand programming for first-generation students navigating college admissions.
Backed by
Founder
Built by someone who needed it.
Brian Donovan Jr. founded Rainbow Academics to fill a gap he could see firsthand: LGBTQ+ STEM students rarely had mentors who shared their identities. Today he mentors students directly and supports the broader mentor community through onboarding, matching, and resource development.
"Mentorship that takes identity seriously isn't a perk — it's the difference between staying in a field and leaving it."
Get involved
Mentor a student. Or find one who gets it.
We're growing the network of LGBTQ+ STEM mentors and the students they support. Reach out and we'll find the right match.