Empowering Futures — COBA & ETEC Launch Post-Secondary Educational Portal Program
From boxing gloves to graduation caps, Charter Oak Boxing Academy (COBA) and Elite Tertiary Education Consulting (ETEC) are rewriting what youth empowerment looks like in Hartford. Through their newest joint initiative, the COBA Post-Secondary Educational Portal Program, they are providing students with not just a vision for success — but a structured, supported path to achieve it.
This past year, the students of COBA have participated in a powerful series of events that serve as key milestones in their academic, social, and professional journeys. The result? A year filled with exposure, exploration, celebration — and most importantly, transformation.
A Year of Empowerment: Highlights from the COBA Portal Journey
Captured in the upcoming COBA Family Photo Album, these moments speak volumes:
Yard Goats Vocational Program (x2) – Students were exposed to career opportunities and real-world workforce insights, learning from professionals and exploring future possibilities in sports, media, and stadium operations.
COBA Graduation – A proud moment recognizing hard work, resilience, and academic success within the COBA community.
Black Men in White Coats Convention – Students gained rare access to Black healthcare professionals, mentors, and inspiring panels that showed them what’s possible in medicine and science.
COBA Halloween Party – Community and joy are vital to youth development, and this event provided a safe space to have fun, bond, and just be kids.
Joe Young Productions Visit – A creative spark was ignited as students met storytellers, filmmakers, and artists — expanding their view of what their future could look like.
COBA HBCU College Fair / Football Classic & Visit to CT Boxing Hall of Fame – Blending culture, history, and higher education, students walked away connected to their roots and motivated to pursue higher learning at HBCUs.
Yard Goats: Honoring Negro Baseball League & Juneteenth – A powerful reminder of legacy, excellence, and the importance of representation in all spaces.
State College Tours & Programming Come to COBA – Colleges came directly to the students, helping demystify the admissions process and make college feel accessible and real.
These experiences, hand-in-hand with the structure of the Post-Secondary Educational Portal, are connecting the dots between exposure and execution — helping each student develop a personal roadmap toward college, trade school, or career.
“We’re not just helping students dream — we’re helping them act,” said Pamela Floyd-Cranford, COBA’s Director of Higher Learning and architect of the educational programming. “We are changing the trajectory of lives, one experience and one opportunity at a time.”
Backed by ETEC’s strategic guidance and COBA’s heartfelt community approach, this program is a blueprint for youth empowerment that merges mentorship, education, and vision into a singular path forward.
Stay tuned — the best is yet to come.
