Nevertheless, the program is not solely pre-professional. Interns from Bennett College and Duke University, who have significantly contributed to the overall design of the project, will spend several hours each week mentoring the students and providing them with information about resume building and the college application process. The Duke Students are funded by Duke Engage, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded project that sends students around the world to lead projects in civic engagement. And while this project certainly has no shortage of entry points into the world of civic engagement, perhaps the most interesting and least obvious is its role in narrowing the achievement gap between low income students and their wealthy peers. In his book Outliers, sociologist Malcolm Gladwell demonstrated that nearly 100% of that gap stems from the lack of valuable summer experiences for minorities and other disadvantaged groups. By providing such an experience, it is the hope of Durham Affordable Housing Coalition to give participants a leg up, while remaining true to our overall mission of promoting and providing quality affordable housing to the Durham area residents who need it most.