At Higher Achievement, Sofía* built community and confidence. When she joined the program in 6th grade, she immediately felt the supportive culture that staff, scholars, and mentors had established.
“It’s really important to have a community you feel like you can go to as a kid. Social relationships matter, and until Higher Achievement, I didn’t often have an opportunity outside of school to form those connections. At Higher Achievement, there was a sense of community – not just having your friends there, but creating a community with mentors, people from other grades, and the Higher Achievement teachers.”
Sofía built relationships with her fellow scholars through group activities and mentoring. Activities that brought scholars together for a common goal stand out in her memory: “During a Halloween party, we were doing charades and riddles to win candy. We were excited to work together.”
Higher Achievement also helped Sofía establish the skills and routine she would need in high school. “Higher Achievement really helped me understand what high school would be like. I remember sitting in a classroom asking my Higher Achievement teachers and mentors questions. I went into high school much less afraid than if I hadn’t gone to Higher Achievement.”
To ease the transition to high school, Higher Achievement offered information sessions that helped scholars and families learn about the high school landscape, and Sofía and her peers received weekly support from a mentor.
“I really liked my mentors. It was nice to have a designated person at the end of the day that I could talk to. I could ask questions, especially if I was struggling with a topic or couldn’t ask it in class because there wasn’t time, or I didn’t want to speak up.”
Working with a mentor also gave Sofía a sense of accountability. Before she attended Higher Achievement, she sometimes forgot to do her homework before school and finished it in class; after joining the program, she had a defined place and time to complete it.
Higher Achievement also helped Sofía find her voice. She didn’t know any English when she first arrived in the United States, and while she was proficient by the time she joined Higher Achievement, she was still building confidence. Sofía didn’t always step up when scholars were encouraged to speak during discussions and presentations, but the lessons stayed with her just the same. “I was a shy person and I didn’t talk much, but there were lots of opportunities during Higher Achievement. It’s why I got involved in speech and debate in high school.”
Sofía carried those skills through high school at Baltimore City College and into college at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. At City, she earned enough credits through AP and IB classes to skip several general education courses and move straight into courses for her major.
Today, she is pursuing a degree in the Emergency and Disaster Health Systems management track. “I don’t think I would make a good doctor, but I wanted to help people. I realize how disaster can affect communities, especially communities where resources are already scarce, and where minority communities who may not be able to go back to a normal life.”
Sofía uses her public speaking skills during class presentations and in her work as an Eco Ambassador where she helps to promote sustainability on campus.
Now that Sofía’s brother is in his first year at Higher Achievement, she has been reflecting on her own time as a scholar.
“There are so many opportunities Higher Achievement gave us. I took some, but didn’t take others, and I regret not doing as much as I could have done. Higher Achievement gives you opportunities.”
Opportunities offered during the formative middle school years give scholars like Sofía the confidence, community, and encouragement to bring their dreams and talents to life.
*Name changed for privacy
When Paloma Munoz joined Higher Achievement, she was preparing for one of the biggest transitions of adolescence: graduating from middle to high school. Her mother hoped Higher Achievement would help her step outside her comfort zone and build the social-emotional skills that would support her move from a familiar school community into a new, unknown […]
Oluwatunmise “Aph” Ogunbanjo found community, confidence, and opportunity at Higher Achievement, experiences that continue to shape her path today. Evenings at Higher Achievement centered on connection. “The only independent activity was study hall,” remembers Aph. “Everything else was working with others, one on one or in a team.” Aph and her peers built community and […]
From scholar to mentor, community has guided every step of Jordan Dowtin-Dorsey’s path. “My time at Higher Achievement is my earliest memory of building a community outside of my family. That experience changed my trajectory in life in so many ways.” At first, the commitment to Higher Achievement seemed daunting. “It was a big adjustment for […]
Access to opportunities shaped the trajectory of Higher Achievement alumna Davion Washington’s life. Now in her first year at Howard University, she stands poised to ensure that the next generation of students have that same support. Davion joined Higher Achievement in 5th grade after hearing about the program through friends. She fondly remembers the chants, […]
Higher Achievement alum Dominique Tucker keenly understands the role opportunity and support play in a young person’s life. For him, it’s personal. Dominique’s connection to Higher Achievement began early—his mother was the founding Learning Director at Higher Achievement’s Ward 7 Achievement Center, then located at Our Lady Queen of Peace. It was there, in 4th […]
Sydney was first drawn to the community at Higher Achievement. “I was interested in the program because it would enable me to have a more established sense of community outside of school,” she remembers. Higher Achievement soon became a place of support for Sydney, both academically and personally. “I lost my father around the time […]