Issam Hamdallah ‘12
“The greatest impact achieve has had on my life so far is that they have given me the resources to be the best I can be. ”

Miko Jones ‘11
"achieve has opened my eyes to the reality that I can go to college simply by working hard and being myself."

Vivian San ‘11
“achieve has given me an opportunity to use my skill and capabilities in helping others. They helped me understand that every second or minute that I volunteer, counts as something important to the people I serve. Helping others benefits me just as much as the people I serve. There is no better feeling than knowing that I've made a positive impact on another person's life.”

Monica Marquez ‘11
“The greatest impact that achieve has had on my life so far is giving the opportunity to attend one of the best high schools in the Bay Area. Without the help that achieve has given my family, I would probably not be able to receive such a fine education, because my mother cannot afford it on her own. ”

Analis Ibarra ‘12
“achieve has taught me that helping others is not only a great way to give back to our community but also our duty as people. I have learned that being able to help others is very satisfying and rewarding.”

Tifanny Li ‘12
“achieve has taught me many values of giving back to my community, which has been a new experience for me and it has been truly rewarding.”

Gladys Martinez ‘10
“What I find most helpful about achieve is that I always have someone at my back, pushing me towards the edge of a cliff. So far, I'm almost able to fly off that cliff with the help of achieve.”

Fernando Delgado ‘09
“achieve is a family that I can look to for companionship, advice, support and love. ”

Eia Gardner ‘09
“achieve has instilled in me characteristics that I will need in the future: to speak up for myself, to stand up for what is right, to accept change, and to be bold in every situation that I face. ”

Ian David ‘12
“The greatest impact achieve has had on my life so far is knowing that I have a second family that loves and cares for me.”

Martin Marquez ‘09
“I truly feel that achieve is a family--- my family. I can always talk to my achieve brothers and moderators because I know that they are there for me and they are there to listen to what I have to say.”

Alyssia Smith ‘09
“I like the fact that achieve gives young minorities a chance to succeed in life and beat the odds.”

Teresa Hartwell ‘10
“achieve is like an extra parent. It keeps you on top of your school business and pushes you to your potential.”

Katia Garcia ‘10
“The best thing about being in achieve is that we have someone other than our parents to go to for help. Achieve is like one loving family.”

Erika Rosas ‘09
“The best part of being in achieve is that it helps us become aware of our strengths and capabilities—but not only that, we learn how to use our strengths to help ourselves and to help others.”

Corrina Ramos ‘10
“achieve shows me that school is the key to your future and that it is very important to always give 100% in everything that you do.”

Ashley De Motto ‘12
“The summer experiences have helped me to realize that I can do whatever I want if I set my mind to it. I never thought that as a freshwoman, I would do cancer research experiments with doctors and be rewarded with knowing that my dad, who died of cancer, would be very proud.”
Frequently Asked Questions

How many students are currently being served?
Over 70 students at three schools (Archbishop Riordan High School and Mercy High School in San Francisco, and Holy Names High School in Oakland).

What kind of students are you looking for?
Aside from documented financial need, the main criterion for selection is extraordinary motivation. achieve students must be willing to put in the enormous time and effort required to change their destinies. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for their 7th & 8th grade years.

What kind of financial/family information does achieve require?
We need information pertaining to gross family income, number of people in the household, and any extenuating circumstances that would affect the family’s ability to pay tuition. Generally we are looking for families that meet the government definition of poverty or low income. Only students who complete the high school financial aid process will be considered for the achieve program.

What is the expectation of the financial responsibility of the family?
Every family is expected to make a financial contribution toward tuition. This contribution is calculated on a sliding scale as determined by the financial aid report and information gathered through interviews.

What is the interview process?
Parents and students are interviewed by a panel consisting of Mrs. Bakar, an achieve staff member and a representative from the partner school.