Sydney Montgomery

Sydney Montgomery (Forbes 30 Under 30) is the Executive Director and Founder of Barrier Breakers, a nonprofit with a mission to increase access to higher education for first-generation students. Barrier Breakers has helped over 7,000 students receive over $490M in scholarships. As the daughter of military and immigrant parents and as a lower-income first-gen student, Sydney battled insecurities, financial challenges, and debilitating chronic illnesses to defy societal labels and expectations. Now, as a TEDx Speaker and Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur, Sydney speaks to students in keynotes and workshops about resilience, overcoming obstacles, finding their career path, networking, mentorship, and social entrepreneurship. Sydney holds a B.A. in English from Princeton University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Masters of Theological Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary.