Safe Passage Strategies Is Partnering with Northeastern University

At Safe Passage Strategies (SPS), every initiative begins with principle. For me, as the founder, this is more than just a company update — it’s personal.

During my graduate studies at Northeastern University, I was supported by an extraordinary community of international students, global lecturers, and professors. Their dedication and perspectives enriched my education and helped me succeed in ways I will never forget. Now, as an alumnus, I am returning in partnership with Northeastern to create opportunities that give back.

Building Pathways for Global Talent

That’s why we’re proud to launch our first academic partnership with Northeastern University’s Experiential Network (XN) this fall. Through the graduate interdisciplinary course, a team of Northeastern students will collaborate with SPS to advance the Global Talent Compliance & Empowerment Initiative.

This initiative is designed to do two things:

1. Ensure Safe Passage Strategies maintains full compliance with complex U.S. regulations surrounding the hiring of F-1 international students (CPT, OPT, and STEM OPT).

2. Establish SPS as a model of ethical compliance, creating a foundation that can later expand into helping international students and partner organizations with pathways to internships and employment with SPS.

The Dual-Track Approach

The project is structured into two complementary tracks:

• Regulatory Affairs Track (led this fall by Northeastern students): maps federal laws, DHS/ICE/SEVP/USCIS requirements, employer obligations, and compliance procedures into structured policies and frameworks.

• Technical Track (to be developed in tandem): converts those policies and frameworks into a working compliance system, complete with data flows, SOPs, and intelligent modules that can scale.

Together, the dual tracks create a living system where law informs technology, and technology enforces law. This structure ensures SPS can remain compliant while building the capacity to hire international students responsibly.

Strengthening SPS From the Ground Up

Here’s the connection that matters most: the Northeastern students working on this project are helping build the regulatory foundation that will directly feed into SPS’s technical systems. Their work is the first step toward creating the compliance infrastructure that will one day allow SPS to hire them — and others like them — legally and ethically.

Looking Ahead

As we embark on this project, we carry forward a simple truth: compliance isn’t just about rules — it’s the system that makes opportunity possible. By helping build this dual-track compliance framework, Northeastern students are directly shaping SPS’s ability to grow into a company that can one day employ international graduates and continue the cycle of support I experienced in my own journey.

This is the first step of many for Safe Passage Strategies, and we’re excited to share the journey openly. Check back here in Company News for updates throughout the semester as this partnership takes shape.