A 12 Year Commitment

Our Graduate Success Program (GSP) team begins their commitment as fifth-graders enter our middle school program. The GSP offers 12 years+ of support, starting in middle school, continuing in high school, and college to ensure that each student gains access to the opportunities that they deserve.

During its 12-year commitment, the GSP team provides mentoring and targeted academic, social-emotional, financial, and career support to alumnae of all ages. Founded on the importance of celebrating the identities and educational journeys of our students and graduates, GSP centers partnership with the student's family, secondary schools, colleges, benefactors, and community partners.

Our program team walks alongside graduates as they navigate these journeys by providing resources and programming and celebrating their successes as first-generation students long after they have graduated from Esperanza Academy. This allows each student to be prepared to succeed in high school and college, and ultimately, disrupt the cycle of poverty in their families.

We are proud that 100% of our graduates complete high school. Many enroll and complete their postsecondary education, at two-year and four-year institutions, or explore alternative vocational paths.

Graduate Success Program - Middle School

Our program aims to:

Help all middle school students explore their values, identities, strengths, and interests with their high school and college goals.
Place all rising eighth-graders in summer academic enrichment programs that will better prepare them for high school and expose them to the admissions process
Assist our students in finding the best fit secondary schools, ones that will meet their individual needs and talents, by providing parent education about schools and reviewing each student's profile.
Offer various opportunities for interview practice, essay-writing workshops, and extensive financial aid counseling to parents.
Facilitate the application process from start to finish and provide financial aid assistance to families for successful enrollment.

Graduate Success Program - High School

Our program aims to:

Offer support and advocacy when graduates encounter academic and social-emotional challenges related to their secondary school experience and provide financial aid support.
Serve as a liaison and interpreter between secondary school staff and students and their families, and work closely with secondary school staff to identify challenges and generate action plans/supplemental support.
Work closely with counselors, teachers, and support staff as we monitor students' progress tracking grades and conducting student visits.
Deliver financial literacy training to graduates and their families, particularly as it pertains to student loans and college acceptance letters and guidance to apply to scholarship programs.
Maintain the Graduate Success lounge at Esperanza as a safe and brave space for students to process their high school experiences and stay connected to the Esperanza Academy community.

Graduate Success Program - College & Career Readiness

Our program aims to:

Provide academic support, professional mentoring, financial literacy, and access to internship and employment opportunities through our Esperanza network and community partnerships.
Connect graduates with local resources and critical support networks that offer comprehensive guidance for first-generation low-income students such as student diversity groups, multicultural associations, and leadership opportunities.
Develop and deliver programming grounded in empowerment, self-advocacy, and justice, encouraging graduates to persist, grow, and be prepared for life transitions