Dear Friends,
FROM THE EXECUTIVE
Thanks to your support and the investment of our community partners, Breakthrough Summerbridge (BTSB) is thriving.
Our students continue to develop lasting networks of mentorship and friendship and embrace the resources BTSB provides to maintain their commitment to academic excellence throughout middle school and beyond. To date, over 75% of BTSB students have graduated from four-year colleges. Together, we are achieving our mission to close the opportunity gap for students from under-resourced circumstances.
This year, we welcomed another excellent group of Teaching Fellows (TFs); two were BTSB student alumni, and four were returning after serving in previous years. This continuity demonstrates the value that our students and TFs perceive in our programming. In total, 17 TFs joined us from all over the country, from as far as Hawaii and as near as right here in San Francisco. Following a summer working with BTSB, over 80% of Teaching Fellows report plans to pursue careers in education or advocacy on behalf of children. With your support, we are truly helping to build the pipeline of future educators dedicated to equity and students’ holistic well-being.
As always, our students demonstrated their incomparable BTSB spirit this summer, making the most of fun, hands-on learning and a broad array of extracurricular activities. BTSB Olympics was particularly energized this year, as it coincided with the world events in Paris. We also loved witnessing our students envisioning possibilities for their futures during our College and Career Day adventures— diving into the world of coding at Google, exploring the UC Berkeley campus, and experiencing cutting-edge medical training at UCSF’s Kanbar Center.
As we grow and enhance our programming, I am thrilled to share that BTSB was one of five Breakthrough affiliates selected to receive AmeriCorps support. This funding will enrich the Teaching Fellowship component of our program, making BTSB an even more compelling professional development opportunity for promising future educators. Looking ahead, we’re also excited about expanding our work with students to include an array of College Access Programming for grades nine through twelve. You can read more about the first phase of this initiative on page 7.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community. I always welcome the opportunity to hear from you. Please stay in touch!
With Breakthrough Summerbridge Spirit,
Dara Northcroft
Dara Northcroft, Executive Director
BREAKTHROUGH SUMMERBRIDGE
is a tuition-free, year-round, summer-intensive academic enrichment and advocacy program. We support highly motivated, traditionally underrepresented students to achieve post-secondary success, and recruit, inspire, and develop the next generation of educators and youth advocates.
Founded at San Francisco University High School (UHS) in 1978, we are the original site and inspiration for the Breakthrough Collaborative, which now includes a network of 25 affiliates throughout the United States.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
• Provide enrichment to support student success in their school-year programming
• Comprehensively assist all students with admission to college preparatory high schools
• Provide students with support and resources to successfully navigate the college-going process and gain college admission
• Provide guidance, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities that encourage Teaching Fellows to pursue careers in youth development and/or education
• Empower and provide resources for parents to support their children on the path to college
100 Students engage in our intensive six-week summer program and schoolyear programming
100 Hours of academic and social emotional learning skill building
“BTSB’s projects and group activities let me connect with my peers, giving a strong sense of community while maintaining a big focus on academic growth.”
— Daniel, 8th grade student
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
ON AVERAGE EACH YEAR...
18 Teaching Fellows participate in intensive internships on their pathway to careers in education
9 Instructional Coaches mentor Teaching Fellows on best practices in teaching and lesson planning
OUR STUDENTS
Our students reflect the diversity for which San Francisco is proudly known. 84% of our students live in low-income households and over 65% are part of multilingual families.
“This program has helped me grow not only academically, but socially... Summerbridge has pushed me to put my best foot forward in the classroom and has taught me to work to the hardest of my abilities through challenging classes and after school courses. It has provided me with a safe space to learn and grow with others, as a community... Breakthrough Summerbridge has taught me how to be the best version of myself possible...”
—Natalia,
9th grade student
OUR STUDENTS
98%
Average student retention rate over the course of our 3-year program
95%
Students enroll in academically rigorous college prep high schools
75%
Students have graduated from a four-year college
Our students start the school year ready to excel:
On average, students lose about two months of reading and math skills during the summer, known as the “summer slide.”
Our post-summer academic assessment showed that we are effectively addressing the summer slide. Between the beginning and end of Breakthrough programming, 91% of our students either improved or maintained their grade-level skills in reading and math.
COLLEGE & CAREER DAY
BTSB’s College & Career Day provides real-world experiences on regional campuses and in local workplaces that complement our hands-on learning in the classroom and get students inspired about their academic and professional futures.
In 2024, our ninth graders were immersed in multiple aspects of the healthcare field during their visit to UCSF. Seventh graders visited Google, where they learned coding in workshops led by a BTSB alumnus! Eighth graders visited UC Berkeley, where they learned about life on campus at this prestigious public university.
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS
In early 2024, employees from Gilead Sciences once again volunteered to lead a lab for students in our After-School Enrichment Program (ASE). Engaging in experiments facilitated by scientists working in the medical field gives students the opportunity to understand the real-world applications of the concepts they are learning and to envision themselves as future scientists.
BTSB gratefully acknowledges Gilead’s generous volunteers. Would your company be interested in partnering with BTSB? Learn more on page 11 or contact us to learn how you can open doors to possibilities for our students!
COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAMMING:
Looking Ahead to Extending Impact Through High School
Breakthrough Summerbridges’s multi-year model gives us ample time to get to know our students and families. This continuity is one of our program’s key strengths, as it builds a lasting network of support during the critical middle school years. This September, we launched new programming to extend engagement with students throughout high school, providing more intensive support as they prepare and apply for college.
College preparation is a more multifaceted and complex process than ever before, and there is a rich diversity of higher education opportunities available to our highly motivated students. Navigating this combination of challenge and choice is complex, particularly for students who will be the first in their families to attend college.
BTSB will implement College Access Programming in phases, launching this first year by providing learning opportunities for our ninth-grade students and their families.
Be a part of this new programming!
If you or your company are interested in participating in college and career workshops and panels, we’d love to hear from you.
“Being in a welcomed space enlightened me into having more fun, and learning from peers around me…..That’s what BTSB is for, helping us step-by-step, making sure we’re having fun in the meantime.”
– Yalguun, 7th grade student
OUR STUDENTS:
Prepared and Inspired to Make a Difference in Their Communities
Pedro Garcia Silva
BTSB 2019- 2021, UHS C/O 2025
Pedro is a senior at San Francisco University High School, where he is Student Body President. Pedro will be the first in his family to attend college.
Can you reflect on your BTSB experience in middle school as you prepare to graduate from an academically rigorous high school and head to college?
I remember that first year in BTSB was probably one of the best summers I’ve ever had. It’s difficult for people to understand how “summer school” can be fun like that. It wasn’t super formal…the teaching fellows are close to you in age. They understand a lot of what you’re going through. Seeing their passion and their ambition was just really welcoming and inspiring. And it wasn’t just during Summer. In seventh grade, I started coming to After-School Enrichment (ASE), and I got a lot of support to prepare for the SSAT. I’m a student who absolutely hates standardized testing. They helped a lot, and I learned strategies that helped me in other aspects of my life as well.
You are a student at UHS, where BTSB’s program takes place. Has this helped you stay connected with the program?
Yes, after becoming a UHS student, I started volunteering with BTSB as a Non-Teaching Intern (NTI) volunteer. And then, I got to see my older upper-class peers become teaching fellows as well. It’s been four years since I became an alum of Summerbridge, and it still positively influences my everyday life.
What do you think distinguishes BTSB from other college access programs?
It’s more than just a summer program. It’s a community. I still remember almost everyone’s names. We have a shared history and stories together. It was like a family. [BTSB staff] gave me guidance in moments when things
felt uncertain. If something at school wasn’t feeling right or comfortable, I could go to Summerbridge, and they would help in any way they could… It’s not just the teachers and TFs looking out for the students. Students looked out for each other, checking in about high school applications. We were invested in each other and knew the program was invested in us.
You are applying for colleges now. What do you think you want to study?
My father’s an automotive technician, so I spent a lot of time at the body shop where he works in San Francisco. I’ve always been incredibly interested and intrigued by the engineering world. I love working with my hands and critical thinking. But what I hope to gain out of whatever occupation is in store for me in my future, is to help as many people as many people as I can. That’s ultimately my main goal and purpose. I’m still undecided on what specific field of engineering, but I’m interested in civil engineering. I love the idea of planning out the infrastructure of new cities and how we can build in a sustainable and efficient way that can be affordable for families as well. It just intrigues me –the idea that we can take the next step as a society and get closer to building the world we want for all of us. It should be equitable for all.
“After our summer [2023] ended together, I had developed so many skills and realized that I was not only teaching my students, but also learning alongside them. I am forever grateful to that class for growing with me last summer.
Coming back for a second summer [2024], I realize that being a Teaching fellow still allows me to experience the benefits of this program through pushing me to grow in any aspect you can think of, especially my leadership roles this summer. Breakthrough Summerbridge has truly reshaped my understanding of education and my place within it.”
– Itzanya, Teaching Fellow
OUR TEACHING FELLOWS
Our Teaching Fellows (TFs) come to us from regions throughout the country—from as near as the Bay Area to as far as the East Coast.
35%
Are returning TFs or BTSB alumni
100%
Would recommend BTSB to a friend interested in education.
88%
Plan to work or advocate on behalf of youth
Tell me about your early memories as a Breakthrough Summerbridge Student.
When I interviewed, I didn’t know too much about [BTSB], but I could tell by the questions that they were asking that they really wanted to get to know me. I eventually got accepted into the program, and I stayed for all three years, even during COVID. COVID was kind of a crazy year.
Tell us more about that!
It was the summer before ninth grade. I have fun memories of dancing to High School Musical on Zoom. I learned so much from [BTSB instructors] Rachel and Lena. I remember the things I learned when I wasn’t even a freshman yet that I eventually studied again as a junior in high school. I had office hours with [teaching fellow] Leon. It brought me a lot of joy to be able to connect with someone like that during the pandemic.
And after you finished your third year you came back as a NTI (Non-Teaching Intern) volunteer right?
Yes. I’ve thought about coming back as a Teaching Fellow too, but my summers are so busy now!
Do you ever think now about how your BTSB experience impacts what you’re doing now or how you got where you are now?
Yes, I’m about to change my major to Community and Global Health. In 2020, we did a project
OUR STUDENTS: Prepared and Inspired to Make a Difference in Their Communities
Nam Nguyen
BTSB 2018- 2020;
St. Ignatius High School C/O 2024 Nam met with us by Zoom from the library at Lehigh University, where he is a freshman.
at BTSB on social inequity. We had to give a presentation. Mine was on educational inequity. I’m taking sociology right now and thinking a lot about how education ultimately impacts your health. It’s kind of a crazy thing that I started gaining this perspective on helping marginalized communities gain access to education way back before high school. And now, I’m connecting that to what I’m learning in my college classes. I realize how education impacts your whole life. That project that summer at BTSB really helped me understand that.
What would you say to someone who was considering making a donation to BTSB?
I would say, you’re not just investing in children’s education now by giving them the resources to engage in a summer program that will prepare them for the future. You’re also investing in future teachers who will teach students things in a way that will center their own stories. And it’s not just about academics because school is not just about that. It’s the social and emotional learning. Summerbridge is a program that’s investing in students and teaching fellows to create future leaders… people who will lead the way for the country and even the world.
OUR FINANCIALS
REVENUE EXPENSES
Total Revenue: $703,109
Total Expenses: $703,109
Invest with a Contribution
Your donation goes directly to support BTSB programming. Many workplaces have matching gift programs—an opportunity to double your impact!
Donate now by scanning the QR code or visiting www.sfuhs.org/summerbridge/support-summerbridge .
Corporate Volunteerism
Does your employer have a Community Investment or Charitable Giving program? Would your business host our students or provide volunteers or hands-on learning activities?
To discuss corporate collaboration email Executive Director Dara Northcroft at dara.northcroft@sfuhs.org .
Help Us Recruit Talent from Across the Country
Volunteer to host a Teaching Fellow over the summer. To volunteer and learn more about our Homestay program email Executive Director Dara Northcroft at dara.northcroft@sfuhs.org .
Your involvement positively impacts the lives of the students and teaching fellows in our community. Thank you!
