We all have dreams, but some of us don't have the resources or guidance to achieve those dreams. At Balboa High School in San Francisco a diverse collaboration of community resources has come together to help students reach their goals.

The School-to-College (STC) program was founded in 1999 and is a program of the Bar Association of San Francisco, in partnership with Balboa High School; it is also supported by the San Francisco 49ers. Balboa was selected as the pilot high school for the STC program because of its cultural diversity.

Balboa educates many students from low-income and immigrant families, where college has rarely been a part of a family's experience. As a result, the students in the past may have had little expectation or hope of going to college. STC provides a successful and powerful mentoring program for juniors and seniors. Since its inception, over 150 students have graduated the program, with 99% going on to attend colleges and universities.

School-To-College Highlights:

• Weekly two-hour classes on the benefits of attending college, personal essay, college application process, and financial aid resources
• Regular group and one-on-one discussions with students about the emotional and academic rigors of preparing for and attending college
• Preparation for the SAT, ACT and other mandatory standardized college admission examinations
• Tours of colleges and universities throughout the year, including local private and public colleges and a fully-funded week-long tour of schools in New York and Washington D.C. or Boston
• Financial aid for college application fees, if fee waivers are unavailable

STC is a free program and was designed to help students develop a broader, hopeful vision of the future. It helps students cultivate an appreciation of college and provide the tools and discipline needed to gain access to higher education through a series of weekly meetings throughout the school semester.

As a whole, the STC program helps students set post-high school goals, organize their application and financial aid materials, encourages them to stay the course and gives them a comprehensive understanding of college-its purpose, what college life can be like, and their role in making it a reality for themselves.

School to College is open to all Balboa students. Students enter School to College during the second semester of their junior year, and continue with the program through their senior year.

For more information, please contact:

Eduardo Valladares
School-To-College Coordinator
Bar Association of San Francisco
465 California Street, Suite 1100
San Francisco, CA 94104-2388
www.sfbar.org/stc