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Breakthrough's Summer Visitors Days
Spend an hour with Breakthrough on the University of Texas at Austin campus and see what our students are accomplishing! View the fun morning roll call, meet a few of our students, and learn first-hand more about all that Breakthrough does.
Complimentary parking will be available at the UT Co-Op parking garage, which is located on San Antonio at 23rd street behind the University Co-Op.
For questions or to RSVP, please contact Sara at sara@breakthroughaustin.org or 512-692-9444 x23.
May 21, 2010 Breakthrough's Class of 2010 Graduates!
We are proud to announce that our third class of students has graduated from high school! On May 15, over 150 Breakthrough students, staff, family and friends gathered at St. Edward’s University to honor the class of 2010. Seniors have been admitted to over thirty-five colleges across the country, including: Angelo State University, Austin College, Austin Community College, Baylor University, Blinn College, Boston University, The Citadel, College of Wooster, Colorado State University, Concordia University, Evergreen State College, Hampshire College, Howard Payne University, Huston-Tillotson University, Kansas State University, Manhattanville College, Northern Arizona University, Sam Houston State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, St. John’s University (NY), St. Mary’s University, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Galveston, Texas A&M Kingsville, Texas Lutheran University, Texas State Technical College, Texas State University, University of Houston, University of Hawaii, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of North Texas, University of Tampa, University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Congratulations to the class of 2010!
April 28, 2010 Breakthrough's Champions Event covered in the Austin American-Statesman
On Thursday, April 22, Breakthrough held its annual Champions event at the stunning home of board member Neil Webber. Over 275 guests attended and a record amount of pledges were made! Michael Barnes, social columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, was in attendance and covered the event in his Out & About column. You can read the article here.
April 13, 2010 Two Breakthrough Students Win Prestigious Dell Scholarship!
Congratulations to Cinnamon Robinson of Austin High School and Alexandra Kleinberg of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School! These two Breakthrough students were chosen out of 10,600 applicants for the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Dell Scholars Program. Cinnamon will be a freshman at the University of Houston in the fall and Alexandra will be at the University of North Texas! We are proud of Cinnamon and Alexandra for this exciting recognition by this national scholarship program. Dell Scholars receive $20,000 to help pay for college, as well as a laptop computer and mentoring. These supports are designed to ensure Dell Scholars obtain a college degree. Congratulations to three other Breakthrough seniors who were recognized as semi-finalists in the Dell Scholar Program: Alicia Flores and Pykasu Kobe of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School, and Christy Torres of McCallum High School.
March 1, 2010 Breakthrough is KUT's spotlight of the month
KUT 90.5 FM is focusing on Breakthrough as its non-profit of the month. Listeners all over Central Texas heard a two-minute piece about our mission and the students we serve, as well as how to get involved as a volunteer! You can listen to the piece, which features some familiar voices, here.
January 20, 2010 Student Accepted to School for Ethics and Global Leadership
Aaron, a junior Breakthrough student at Austin High School, recently received a full scholarship to attend the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington D.C. this spring semester. Aaron says, "I would never have known this opportunity was out there for me if it was not for Breakthrough. My case manager told me about it, encouraged me to apply, and helped me every step of the way. I'm nervous and yet excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new and challenging. I hope to come home this summer with confidence in my ability to go to and succeed in college."
November 17, 2009 The Hillside Natural Area Project
On November 7th, 40 St. Stephen's mentors, 60 Breakthrough students, and 25 Breakthrough families came together to witness the unveiling of The Hillside Natural Area Project. As briefly mentioned in the last news update, students learned about invasive species and the ecological problems they cause, visited an ecologically restored preserve, learned about working together in teams, removed invasive plants behind Gunn Hall, planned and designed the restoration project, planted 170 seedlings, and created paths and sitting areas in the Natural Area. To read more about this at the St. Stephen's website and see pictures of the project, click the image below.
October 22, 2009
The Emerging Scholars Fund was founded in 2008 by Carolyn and Jack Long based on the simple principle that education truly is the great equalizer in American society. Find out more on what it's doing for Breakthrough students by clicking the link above.
October 5, 2009 St. Stephen's Saturdays are Underway!
The Saturdays at St. Stephen’s program kicked off on September 19th. Despite an unexpected change in venue to O. Henry Middle School, the day was a huge success! Students toured the Mayfield Nature Preserve and worked together to hone their writing and problem-solving skills. This past Saturday, October 3rd, marked the second Saturday of the program. Returning to St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, seventh and eighth graders met with their St. Stephen's mentors, participated in many team-building activities, attended botany labs, and worked to restore a natural common area in desperate need of care. Braving the rain, mentors and mentees alike worked hard to remove invasive species, create paths, and propagate sustainable native plants. Please plan to join us on November 7th for an unveiling ceremony of the new Hillside Natural Area at St. Stephen’s! Invitations will be coming soon – please contact the Development Office at 692-9444 x16 for more information.
October 1, 2009 1 Hour For Kids Partnership
Breakthrough has recently joined in the 1 Hour for Kids collaborative, an initiative launched by United Way that brings together eight nonprofits that specialize in providing mentors and tutors to vulnerable youth. To find out more about 1 Hour for Kids, you can visit 1HourForKids.org.
September 16, 2009 New Videos Are Up!
A new teacher recruitment video has been posted under the Get Involved | Become a Teacher tab, a new student recruitment video has been posted under the For Students | How to Apply to Breakthrough tab, and a Univision news clip has been posted under the Current News | Breakthrough in the News tab. Enjoy!
August 1, 2009 The Summer Program Wraps Up
Congratulations to all the students of the Summer Program 2009! After a long summer filled with homework, science experiments, literary essays, field trips, community service activities, and fun, we celebrated the acievement of our rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students in style. The night's festivities consisted of a few Exploration performances (Explorations are electives designed by our teachers), reflections from the summer, and lots of applause. More than 300 families and friends filled the halls of the University of Texas' Welch auditorium to witness the efforts of 130 hard-working students and 33 dedicated teachers. If you attended Celebration, you may have noticed the halls also filled with impressive student work and dinner graciously provided by the families themselves.
Below you will find a certificate from the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas earned during the Summer Program by the ninth graders!
July 8, 2009 Breakthrough Summer Program is here!
It's that time of year again, and the Summer Program is off to a great start. Over 130 rising seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students have arrived on the University of Texas campus for six weeks of academic enrichment, taught by outstanding high school and college students. In its seventh year, Breakthrough's cornerstone program will not only include core classes such as math and science, but will also feature exciting summer activities such as a spirit day, community service projects, and visits to Aquarena Center at Texas State University and Shakespeare at Winedale. Contact Breakthrough for an opportunity to visit this amazing program and see our students hard at work!
April 21, 2009 2009 Breakthrough Champions Event more successful than ever!
With a record number of attendees and dollars raised, the 2009 Champions Event was the most successful in Breakthrough's history! Hosted in the beautiful gardens of James David and Gary Peese, the event raised awareness of Breakthrough's mission and allowed donors and community members to interact with Breakthrough students. Guests roamed the gardens while enjoying food and drinks from local restaurants Fino and Asti. Thank you to our sponsors, hosts, and all who helped make this event such a great success!
April 16, 2009 Breakthrough seniors receive exciting college acceptance news!
March 5, 2009 Breakthrough and St. Stephens announce partnership made possible by Emerging Scholars Fund!
St. Stephen's, Breakthrough Austin, and the recently formed Emerging Scholars Fund have joined together to provide financial assistance for Breakthrough students attending St. Stephen's Episcopal School. The goal of the partnership is to remove the financial barriers to success for Breakthrough students that will be the first in their families to go to college. While these Breakthrough students will face many challenges on the road, from entering St. Stephen's as a ninth grader to walking across the stage with a college diploma, lack of financial resources should not be one of those challenges for students participating in this program. The Emerging Scholars Fund is providing the financial resources to fund up to 12 students participating in the Breakthrough program through four years of high school at St. Stephen's and four years of “gap” funding at any public college or university in Texas. An additional seven Breakthrough students currently enrolled at St. Stephen's will also be eligible for college gap funding. The unique aspect of the Emerging Scholars support is that it spans eight years from high school through college and is dependent only on the student remaining in good standing in school and with the Breakthrough program. Breakthrough is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful partnership that will help students continue on their path to college.
Photo by Kirk Tuck
October 22, 2008 Breakthrough Receives AT&T Grant!
We are grateful to AT&T for their generous support of the Breakthrough program!
October 8, 2008 Breakthrough Student's Artistic Talent Featured in Local Online Magazine!
PaperDolls Magazine has highlighted Breakthrough senior Arianna for her artistic talents in fashion design. PaperDolls, an online magazine for girls, chose to feature Arianna for her talent, ambition, and hard-working attitude. Check out the full interview here and be sure to see Arianna's work in the upcoming Thread Fair fashion show.
Photograph by Erica Nix, courtesy of PaperDolls Magazine
October 1, 2008 Breakthrough Students named Semifinalists in National Achievement Scholarship Competition!
Two Breakthrough students, Daniel and Andrea, were named semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship competion for African American high school seniors. Of 1600 students nationwide, four are from AISD. Click here for the full article and more information.
Breakthrough Seniors Invited to Visit Colleges with All Expenses Paid!
Breakthrough senior Jasmin was accepted to Middelbury's "Discover Middlebury" program. Only 60 students who apply from across the country are accepted to this selective all expenses paid, overnight fly-in program.
Breakthrough student and St. Stephens senior Jorge was accepted to Occidental College's Multicultural College Visit. Students selected for this program will have the opportunity to visit Occidental's beautiful Los Angeles campus, stay overnight in a residence hall, participate in classes, and interact with faculty and students. This prestiegious program was offered to Jorge with all expenses paid.
In related news, Breakthrough senior Daniel was invited to Carleton College's "Taste of Carleton" Program. This competitive program will allow Daniel to visit the Carleton campus with all expenses covered to learn more about the college. Daniel's strong academic record led him to be one of the few students selected to participate in this exciting opportunity.
June 18, 2008 Breakthrough receives Impact Austin grant!
The grant will support a key component of Breakthrough’s program: a six-week, academic summer session for rising 7th and 8th graders on the UT campus. Students will take English, science, math and history classes, as well as electives and study skills, and will complete two hours of homework every night. All the teaching in the middle school program is done by 24 exceptional and diverse college and high school students selected through a nationwide search process and mentored by Master Teachers. According to Executive Director Barry Aidman, “Over the next two summers, this grant will allow us to launch 135 middle schoolers on the path to college, strengthening their academic skills and providing mentors who demonstrate that ‘it’s cool to be smart’ and that going to college is both possible and important. As these students advance to high school and then earn college degrees, they will have the power to end poverty in their family lines forever.”
We are grateful to the women of Impact Austin for their generous support!
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Breakthrough received a pledge of $400,000 over the next four years from AT&T to help Breakthrough students graduate from high school and go on to college. Breakthrough is one of 170 schools and nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive $12 million in competitive grants from the AT&T Foundation. The grant is part of the company’s signature initiative, AT&T Aspire, which was announced earlier this year and helps address high school success and workforce readiness. Dallas-based AT&T (NYSE: T) has committed $100 million in grant dollars through 2011 to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on high school retention and better preparing students for college and the workforce.
Breakthrough received a pledge of $102,000 toward its 2008 and 2009 summer programs for low-income Austin ISD students working to become first-generation college graduates.
