Model and Strategy
Imagine if we could establish a college-going tradition for every family in San Francisco!
Now imagine if every first-generation college graduate enters a career that enables them to build generational wealth, strengthen their families and communities, and give back so that others can follow in the trail they blazed!
Building on the experience gained during the past year of COVID-19-induced distance learning, we can deepen our reach into SFUSD by providing workshops, guidance, and resources to students, their families, and teachers who are committed to helping students become first-generation college graduates.
As First Graduate grows, we can enroll larger cohorts at partner schools which will raise the overall achievement of students in what have been traditionally underperforming schools. When we reach 250 new students/year, we can move the needle on college graduation rates for first-generation San Francisco students. And, by making sure that our students are college-ready and career-ready, we will transform our City by providing a talent conduit for businesses, creating a thriving volunteer pool for the community, and fostering a new generation of donors eager to give back.
Impact
First Graduate has three primary goals for the impact of this program:
- First-year college students will persist into the second year (as most vulnerable first-generation students transition out before this milestone);
- Students will complete college and attain the first degree in their families;
- Students will graduate as strong candidates for their career of choice.
First Graduate addresses these goals where parents have traditionally worked 2-3 jobs. Through our assistance, their children are becoming engineers, financial managers, nurses, biomedical technologists, and professors. Our students are role models for their community, showing the way for future college graduates. Their degrees will provide them with more career options and greater economic stability than their parents were able to attain.
Through Battery Powered support, first-generation students will make a smooth transition between high school and college; apply and get accepted into the high school and then the college of their choice; attain and maintain high academic scores; persist through college and earn their degrees, and become a prepared and competitive member of the San Francisco workforce.
The majority of our college seniors are on track to finish their degrees by the end of Spring 2021. This is despite the huge challenge of their senior year beginning during a pandemic; carrying with it changing guidelines, deadlines, and requirements, as well as social and emotional challenges for them and their families.
Leadership
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Terri Forman
Executive Director
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Eric Guico
Director of Programs