Ashanti Branch was raised by a single mother on welfare in Oakland, California, and persevered through that barrier and other obstacles growing up in Oakland, CA. He attended college at Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, to study Civil Engineering with a focus on Construction Management. Branch changed careers after tutoring struggling students and realizing his true passion was teaching.

In 2004, while completing his M.Ed., Branch started The Ever Forward Club to provide a support group for African American and Latino males, who were not achieving to the level of their potential. The Ever Forward Club has helped approximately 98% of its member’s graduate high school and 93% them have gone on to attend college. Branch is currently the Assistant Principal at Montera Middle School in Oakland where The Ever Forward Club has created it’s first middle school program.