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 grade, that Dominique participated in Higher Achievement programming that would shape his future.
“I was a weird kid,” chuckled Dominique. “I spent a lot of time self-reflecting. Higher Achievement allowed me to connect with likeminded people in my neighborhood and to come out of my shell.”
At Higher Achievement, Dominique found not just a place of belonging but a community that encouraged him to dream big. He formed lifelong friendships and began envisioning new possibilities for his future. Exposure to mentors from various career fields and visits to college campuses widened his perspective. “It was insightful to experience those things, and they gave me something to dream for.”
As Dominique grew within the program, he took on leadership roles—guiding tours, engaging with funders and donors, and performing poetry on stage. “It was a prime time to build my confidence,” he reflects. These experiences, combined with helping his mother recruit new scholars, ignited a passion for education and working with people.
That passion was deeply influenced by his mother’s example. “My mother was a blessing to a lot of folks. She was a role model and supported so many families,” says Dominique. “Her example taught me how to speak with people and work with people and to exhibit empathy and growth. She made it so that I could traverse so many spaces and places. I’m still attempting to live up to her impact.”
Just as his mother instilled in him the value of education, Higher Achievement reinforced it. “My mother was big on education, and coming from southeast DC, I knew that education was my trajectory to move forward in life. At Higher Achievement, I had other people surrounding me who were working towards the same goals. I knew that I wasn’t in it alone, and that I had support.”
That support extended beyond middle school. When it came time to choose a high school, Dominique’s mom took him and other scholars to high school fairs. After considering options like Georgetown Day and Maret, a visit to St. Albans sealed his decision. “It looked like Hogwarts!,” he laughs. “I could see myself there.” The journey to St. Albans wasn’t easy—navigating the application process took research and determination, and once accepted, Dominique commuted daily, taking two trains and two buses to get to campus. Yet, through it all, the foundation of support he had built kept him moving forward.
The lessons he learned during those formative years—leadership, mentorship, community—served him well in college and beyond. As a Posse scholar, he attended Lafayette College, and later returned to Higher Achievement as an intern from 2006-2011. “It isn’t easy work at all. Middle schoolers are a special group, but I love the community. I loved being able to work with the kids and be part of their support system.”
Today, Dominique continues to pay forward the support he once received. Now the Senior Coordinator of Student Transition at the University of Maryland, he helps students navigate the application and enrollment process, guiding them through their first year of college. “My job now is speaking and working with students. Higher Achievement set me up for success,” says Dominique. “I knew what it was like to have the support of others, and to build and expand community for others. I work with first-generation students, and single parents figuring it out. Higher Achievement established for me the importance of understanding a diversity of experiences, the importance of student stories, and that people are coming from all different walks of life. It built me up to be the person who I am today. It will always have a special place in my heart.”
Dominique’s journey—rooted in community, strengthened by mentorship, and fueled by education—has come full circle. What began as a support system for a young scholar has evolved into a lifelong commitment to uplifting others.