Fall, like all seasons at DTS, starts with a flurry of activity. Our high school students are now half way through the semester – our 9th graders are fully acclimated to Hamilton and our 12th graders are knee deep in their college applications. Our college students on the semester system are finishing up their midterms and those on the quarter system have settled into their new classes. Read on to learn about our college students’ summer internships, our 12th graders’ pre-college residential programs, our college freshmen settling into campus life and how we are expanding our services at Hamilton High School to improve postsecondary outcomes.

We recently caught up with Diego Gallardo, a member of our College 2027 Class and a junior at Amherst College, who interned for DTS this summer. Reflecting on the experience, he shared, “Being an intern allowed me to directly give back to the program and community that has given me so much. It also allowed me to be a role model for both the college-bound freshmen and for all the high school students. I am proof that if they trust the program and the process, they too can get into college, succeed in college and progress towards a career they are interested in.”

On June 22, we honored our 2025 high school and college graduates at a private home in West Los Angeles. It was a wonderful family celebration filled with love, laughter, and of course tears. Our college students graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, Occidental College,…

In another competitive application year, we are thrilled to announce that the DTS high school seniors are matriculating to Tufts University, UC Santa Cruz, St. Olaf College, Occidental College, College of the Holy Cross, and Lehigh University. The class spent a week in Ojai together preparing to make the transition from high school graduate to college student. One student noted, “All the sessions were valuable especially when we practiced…”

Many of our college students participated in educational abroad programs during their breaks. Monse, a junior at Cal Poly Humboldt, spent a week in the Philippines teaching high school students how to use video editing tools to record and share their personal narratives. In the photo, Monse (in black, near center) poses with the students she worked with…

Ernesto, Lehigh ’24, shared travel tips for getting to Bethlehem, PA with 12th grade Sheila who will be flying by herself. to visit the school. Alexa, Smith College ’25, scheduled a Zoom with 12th grade Karen to provide candid answers to her concerns about attending an all women’s college. Daniela, Wesleyan ’28, encouraged 12th grade Bryan to explore the school in person and offered to host him….