This week on the Dragon Tree Podcast we spoke with Melvin Hines. As the co-founder and CEO of Upswing, Melvin has developed a platform to help students get the essential support they need as they enter the multifaceted world of higher education. His team's award-winning achievements in the education sphere have been featured in publications such as Fortune and Forbes. Melvin modeled Upswing on the sort of academic support he received as a small-town high school graduate making the transition to attending a major university.

His approach utilizes technology and a whole lot of humanity to help students succeed in higher ed and beyond. His story begins in Albany, Georgia, where fewer than 70 of the 250 students in his high school class graduated. “When I made it [to the University of Georgia], I kind of had an opportunity to see how the other half lives,” Melvin notes. “It felt like everyone was ready for college except for me.” That feeling led him to create what he wished he’d had much earlier: support systems that are easy to access, never judgmental, and available for students balancing far more than how to study for their next exam. Upswing now supports nearly a million students each year.

Their virtual assistant, Ana, proactively messages students about upcoming deadlines, support options, and wellness resources. While 70% of replies are handled by AI, the other 30% — the vulnerable, complex, deeply human messages — get routed to a real live support team member. “We’re trying to get students to open up, tell us what they're really struggling with, and instantly refer them to a resource that ideally is a live person they can speak to.” This “scalable compassion” includes round-the-clock access to counselors, peer support groups for student parents, and success coaches. According to Melvin, these tools have helped prevent more than 75,000 students from dropping out. But Upswing isn’t just about software.

“Our biggest key differentiator is actually not the technology, it is the support,” he says. Their “HERO” team (Higher Education Retention Officers) meets regularly with each school to review data, share benchmarks, and make personalized recommendations. When speaking about student feedback, Melvin states that “They always say, ‘I absolutely love my HERO.' And, you know, that to us is one of the biggest reasons why we have such loyalty amongst our current partners.”

Melvin also sets aside time to mentor others in the tech industry. “It’s really hard to pour from an empty cup,” he says, reflecting on his advice to founders for avoiding startup burnout.

“You really have to be diligent about how you're going to use your time that's actually beneficial for you. Because if you're not supporting yourself, you are not at all going to be beneficial to your organization.”

Want more from Melvin Hines and Upswing?

👉 Visit upswing.io

👉 Connect with Melvin on LinkedIn: / mhinesjr

👉 Or reach out to him at melvin@upswing.io

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ICYMI: Our last episode featured Natalie Moran of Comms Futurist, who walked us through personal branding and AI adoption in the communications space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ-LGigyskc

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And remember: it’s not about doing everything at once. It’s about knowing when to rest, when to reach out, and when to build the future one supportive message at a time. Keep climbing!🪜✨