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.”
Step 1 - Eligibility Requirements

 Students and their families must meet the eligibility requirements below in order to be considered for the program. Student and family should attend Open House or tour the school. And it is recommended that the student complete a Shadow visit at the school.

Eligibility Criteria
  • 8th grader applying to a partner high school
    achieve only accepts students who can participate in all four years of the program at one of our three partner schools.

  • Have a minimum cumulative 7th-8th grade GPA of 3.0
    Although the majority of achieve students far exceed this requirement, selection for the program is based on the total individual, and achieve will consider extenuating circumstances.

  • Possess leadership potential and a strong motivation to excel academically
    achieve     seeks out motivated students who are willing to put in the extra time and effort needed to be a part of the total program for four years.

  • Family must demonstrate and document financial need
    achieve serves low-income, underserved minority families who otherwise could not afford to send their children to private schools. While achieve provides a four-year scholarship, students must apply for financial aid each year. All families must make some contribution toward tuition.

  • Student should be a first generation college student.
    First generation students are defined as students whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) do not have a four-year college degree.

Go to Step 2 - Apply to a Partner School