Rise Together Education helps students succeed in college

From tuition payments to course selection to internships, entering college is a confusing and chaotic process and even more so for many low-income students. Rise Together Education, a 501(c) (3) nonpro t that focuses on Paly students, aims to level the playing eld.

Founded in 2015, RTE is dedicated to improving college graduation rates by providing support and nancial resources to low-income Paly students.

Along with an annual $3,000 scholarship per scholar, RTE provides its scholars with a mentorship program and workshops and events to prepare them for success in college and beyond.

RTE President Tida Violante said the program gets the scholars’ names from the Paly scholarship committee, and they are the ones who then become RTE scholars. At that point RTE provides the scholars with a mentor too.

“ e mentors are volunteers from the community, and the idea is that you stay with your mentor, this one person, through your whole entire college career,” Violante said.

Violante said RTE is also committed to making sure these students succeed not just academically, but also emotionally.

“Especially after living through COVID-19, there’s bound to be a lot of hardship,” Violante said.

Although the majority of scholarship money RTE gives out comes from direct contributions and various community grants, RTE also partners with organizations such as the Fiery Arts program and local restaurants. ‘’

Senior and RTE Student Representative Allyson Lee said RTE stands out because of its local scope and focus on supporting Paly students.

“Colleges can be very expensive, and even if you go into a community college, there’s still a lot of other expenses such as textbooks and paying for dorms and other things,”

Lee said. “Being able to have access to scholarships, especially one that’s from Paly that you’re not competing with a bunch of other people for, and getting help from people who are Paly alumni that you actually know can be really reassuring. I think that’s a major part of what makes RTE super special.”

Violante, who graduated from Paly in 1989, said she joined RTE because of the socioeconomic disparities she saw after moving back to Palo Alto in 2018.

“I felt like when I moved back to Palo Alto ve years ago, it wasn’t the place I graduated from,” Violante said. “I was really shocked by the number of RVs now that are on El Camino Real and the extreme discrepancy in wealth. I felt like I wanted to do something that would help alleviate that a little bit.”

Violante said she hopes to enable local students to graduate from ese experiences are all from my time at e Mountain School, a semester-long program for high school juniors located on a farm in Vershire, Vt. I am one of 42 students from all around the country immersed in nature and live, study and work with the faculty. college and climb the socioeconomic ladder.

Face planting into 12 inches of freshly fallen snow. Tapping a maple tree and watching as clear sap ows through a web of tubes, all leading to the sugar house. Running to the dining hall between classes for a toasted slice of sourdough, topped with butter and raw honey. Check-ins at 9 p.m. every night. Singing, laughing, crying with friends who know me better than anyone else.

One of the reasons I am enjoying my time at TMS so much is because of how accessible nature is. Going outside is incorporated into the academic curriculum, and it is encouraged in every way possible.

Being able to go outside and o central campus whenever I want gives me plenty of independence. I don’t have to worry about adults who think I can’t take care of myself — the faculty at TMS allows me to do almost anything without supervision.

I can go on sunrise hikes with my dorm, or ski and sled on the trails around central campus with friends.

“I'm simplifying this, of course, but one of the best ways to close the wealth gap is to have a bachelor's degree,” Violante said.

Lee also said RTE also o ers a myriad of opportunities for its scholars beyond money.

“A lot of people look at the scholarship side, but another major part of it is de nitely the mentorship,” Lee said. “We have professionals who are really good at networking and who will try to reach out to you, and they will provide workshops on how to network, how to set up your resume or how to get your rst job. It's not only just the money, but it's also general support throughout college.”

RTE Scholar and Purdue sophomore Ilene Trach, who graduated from Paly in 2021, said although she initially overlooked the mentorship aspect of the program, she has come to appreciate the dedication and care her mentor puts into guiding her success.

Going outside, even for a quick walk between my dorm and the dining hall, also has many health bene ts. While we walk outside between classes at Paly, TMS walks are so di erent. I know everyone I pass by, the world around me is so quiet and I am literally in the middle of a forest. ese walks help me clear my head, reset and re ect. Honestly, this sounds so cheesy, but think about how you feel during and after a walk or hike — assuming you are not on your phone.

I also feel supported by my teachers both academically and personally at TMS.

TMS teachers can dedicate time and e ort to a smaller student body than at Paly, which means I get more individualized attention. For example, all of my classes have fewer than 10 students, making it easy for everyone to share their perspectives and opinions.

I’ve always felt that at Paly, many teachers have so many classes with so many students that they can’t pay attention to or build relationships with each individual. It seems as though many Paly teachers are so swamped with grading assignments that they don’t even get to know who their students are.

TMS teachers, however, can take the time to get to know students beyond grades by leading Saturday night activities and having nonacademic conversations during meals or after classes. is emphasis on building relationships allows me as a student to feel integrated into the community, which creates a comfortable environment for learning.

“I didn't think that they would really check up on us,” Trach said.” I thought it was just like a one and done thing right as we went into college, but they actually have been checking up on us. We met up during winter break, and he helped me out quite a bit both nancially and with college advice as a whole.”

And Violante said all RTE members are dedicated to their mentees and their success.

“Only the people who would want to be mentors would actually come to us because it's a lot of work, and you're committing to at least four years to make sure that this student gets through the next four years and graduates,” Violante said.

Trach said her mentor’s experience as a past-RTE scholar allows him to understand her areas of need.

“I know what he's done. He's been an educator, he's been through college, and he's done all that,” Trach said. “It's been really helpful, and he has his resources and can point me to di erent people.”

Beyond the mentorship program,

RTE recruits experts willing to donate their time to run workshops for its scholars throughout the school year. Recent workshops have included lessons on how to network, prepare resumes or apply for jobs.

As an extra bene t, Violante said RTE has a partnership with Palo Alto University and its graduate program that o ers psychiatry and psychology degrees. is enables RTE scholars to receive free therapy throughout their college experience.

“For (Palo Alto University) students to get their degrees, they have to do so many hours of counseling, and so they provide that to our students for free,” Violante said. “I think that's been really helpful.”

In addition to nancial and academic success in college, Violante said providing scholars with professional connections is critical to nding opportunities in the real world.

“We found that RTE really needs to help with networking. Especially in professional elds, most of our scholars are rst-generation college students, so they wouldn't have the connections that they can call up and say, ‘Hey, can you talk to our student about going to medical school?’” Violante said. “I think people with parents who will help them don't realize how hard it is if you can't just call up somebody and get advice.”

Ultimately, Violante said she is grateful for the volunteers that work hard to make RTE a success. “ ey just have really good hearts, and they want to help,” Violante said. “I always say we are helping our neighbors. It may not literally be somebody on your block, but it's somebody that does live nearby. And if your neighbor isn't doing well, then you're not either. ey just have big hearts, and they want to give back.”

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Additionally, TMS values meaningful work over busywork. Relevant homework allows me to engage even further with classroom material and develop a better understanding of the concepts. is approach to education encourages students to genuinely care about our work beyond just receiving a good grade, which motivates us to invest more time and e ort into assignments.

At TMS, I am surrounded by people who all left their traditional schools for similar reasons — we wanted a change of scenery, and we’re interested in the outdoors.

However, with only 42 students, I feel slightly con ned at times. Being around the same people all the time while learning, working, eating and sleeping can be claustrophobic.

However, I’ve learned to adapt by spending time alone and re ecting — mainly on hikes and during my chores.

Nevertheless, I am loving almost every part of TMS, and no experience will feel the same.