Breakfast with Oscar Kirschwang
We’re kicking off our new series, “Breakfast with…”, where we’ll get to know our members a little better over breakfast. For the first edition of this series, we’re sitting down with Founder of College Together and Sunday Breakfast Club Board Chair, Oscar Kirschwang, to get to know him better!
We don't meet for breakfast anymore, but if we did, what would you want on the table?
Oscar: “Any pastry from High Street! “
Can you share a little about what you do and what drives your work?
Oscar: “I lead College Together, where we are pioneering the evolution of college.
Across the country, families are increasingly asking: is college still worth it? We believe at College Together that the issue is not that it isn’t worth it anymore. It’s that college hasn’t evolved.
We deliver college that, finally, works like the world works: personalized mentorship, projects that reflect real-world skills, and intentional community that endures. We achieve what others only promise: graduation without massive debt. Since starting in late 2020, we've graduated our first 40 students -- all of whom have finished with a degree in hand and $0 of debt.”
What’s one thing about your background or journey that might surprise people?
Oscar: “I was a finalist for graduation speaker my senior year of high school. A teacher shared clandestinely with me that the committee deciding was deadlocked. Half voted for me & the other for my friend James. The principal told everyone, "let's just look at their transcripts and decide." Within seconds of pulling them out, the entire table goes, "well, we HAVE to go with James, now."
I was a really average high schooler. I was right smack in the middle of my class, kicked out of honors twice, and got rejected from all but two universities I applied to.
Everywhere, in classrooms and dining halls across the country, there are students who feel undervalued and overlooked. Because they don't test well. Or learn differently. Or don't conform to a traditional schema of success.
Our society can only advance if we celebrate all manners of success, if we promote multiple avenues of learning, and realize that everybody, regardless of age, income, or GPA, can learn and advance their lives. That's what got me here today. And that is what drives me to build College Together today.”
Who/What in Philly inspires you right now, and why?
Oscar: “Our students at College Together. I know this is a biased answer. But I invite any Club member: come tour our CT Campus on Walnut. I am most inspired today by an exceptional high schooler who enrolled with us a year ago -- and finished an associate's degree before she even graduated high school. The impossible becomes possible here -- where every single day I can see examples of how Philadelphia is thriving and resilient today and will continue to be tomorrow.”
If you could invite anyone (living or dead) to an SBC event, who would it be and why?
Oscar: “The first President of SBC, whoever they are. So they can see how diverse we have become, how representative we are today of Philadelphia society and industry, and how we've made the Club more fun by having drinks in the evening instead of breakfast during the day.”
What’s one book, podcast, show, or other piece of content you’re enjoying right now?
Oscar: “My wife, who is a pediatric oncologist, is obsessed with HBO's The Pitt, which is the first medical show that she claims mirrors what it is actually like to practice medicine. It's fantastic and makes you really appreciate healthcare workers who continue to be heroes today, even as their expertise, pay, and standing are being constantly challenged by multiple forces.”
Oscar reminds us why SBC exists: to connect, inspire, and celebrate the people shaping Philadelphia. We can’t wait to share more voices in the next “Breakfast with…” feature.