PECO’s parent company helped Philadelphia Futures turn its college guide into an app

Philadelphia Futures, a nonprofit focused on getting low-income students ready for college, is making a play to find college hopefuls in their natural environment: through their smartphones.
The nonprofit built a digital companion to its Step Up to College guide. The development of the platform took six months and was volunteered by Exelon, PECO’s parent company, according to a release. That connection came by way of Michael Menendez, who serves on the board of the nonprofit in addition to being IT vice president at Exelon.
College kids can use the app — which went live on Thursday for both iOS and Android — to find which college best matches their interests, browse through financial aid offerings and access a list of questions to ask during campus visits. (Sounds like a good app to pair with locally built scholarship finder Scholly.)
The free app is billed as more of a companion for the traditional guide with college resources, but we know all those pesky Gen Z kids will prefer being nose-deep into their phones than carrying around actual books.
Download on Android
Download on iOS
Here’s a quick video of what users will find:

“As apps have become an increasingly popular way of receiving information, it was essential that we embrace this technology and meet students where they are,” said the nonprofit’s executive director Joan Mazzotti, in a press release. “With the addition of the app, the Guide is now an even more powerful resource for Philadelphia’s college-bound students.”