Welcome!
Hello, welcome to our April Newsletter!
Spring is here! We are excited about new partnerships,
teacher surveys, and of course, COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES!
Read more and please consider making a tax-deductible donation.
Breakthrough Seniors Receive College Acceptance Letters
This spring, Breakthrough’s seniors have been receiving exciting news from college admissions offices all over the country. Although we won’t know exactly where our seniors will attend college until May, here is a partial list of schools Breakthrough seniors have been accepted to so far:
Boston University 
Cal Poly Pomona
CSU East Bay
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Stansilaus
Johns Hopkins University
McDaniels College
New York University
Northwestern University
Regis University
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State
Stanford University
Syracuse University
UC Berkeley
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles
UC San Diego
University of the Pacific
University of San Francisco
Whittier College
75% of Breakthrough Teachers Enter Careers in Education
Jia Liu came from a family of engineers and believed that he would eventually become an engineer too. However, after a summer of teaching at Breakthrough, Jia’s future changed! Now, Jia has been teaching high school science in San Jose for the past three years.
According to our recent Teaching Alumni Survey, 75% of former Breakthrough teachers have pursued careers in education after college. Many credit Breakthrough for opening their eyes and stirring a passion for entering the teaching profession. “Breakthrough turned me on to teaching,” says Jia. “My experiences as a Breakthrough teacher showed me the impact a good teacher can have on a student. I got hooked on the idea of being a professional educator.”
Breakthrough teacher alumni also become more committed to working for the well-being of children with limited educational opportunities, as reported by 70% of those surveyed. One of our former teachers said that “before Breakthrough my original plan was to move to some glamorous part of Southern California where I could teach in some rich school and get paid a large salary. After coming to Breakthrough I realized that I wanted to teach students like my Breakthrough students for the rest of my life. I decided that once I graduated, I would get my teaching credentials and work in Downtown San Jose.
Breakthrough Partners with Teach for America, The Glow Foundation, Notre Dame High School and Deloitte
Breakthrough and Teach For America (TFA) recently launched a strategic partnership to build a pipeline for outstanding Breakthrough teaching alumni to enter TFA. Breakthrough teaching alumni are three times more likely than other college graduates to be hired by TFA. “So many Breakthrough alumni have been phenomenal corps members because they bring a tremendous dedication to and demonstrated experience in achieving the mission of ensuring that all children attain an excellent education,” says Josh Griggs, VP of Admissions at TFA. “We are very excited about this partnership, and believe it will inspire even more talented Breakthrough graduates to continue and build upon their great work by becoming Teach For America corps members.”
Breakthrough high school students will participate in a two-year long financial literacy and college financial aid program thanks to a new partnership with the Glow Foundation. The financial barrier to college for low-income students is not just about money, but also about having adequate financial skills and access to information. This new partnership will provide Breakthrough students critical financial literacy and planning skills that will help them succeed in college and beyond.
Notre Dame High School (NDSJ), and Deloitte have also joined to help Breakthrough students pursue their path to college. Deloitte’s financial support is allowing NDSJ to be one of Breakthrough’s afterschool sites and will provide scholarships to Breakthrough girls. “Notre Dame’s community partnership with Breakthrough Silicon Valley and Deloitte enables young women, who might not otherwise have the financial and academic opportunity, to thrive in a rigorous school environment”, says Ann Skeet, Notre Dame’s president.
