This June, we kicked off week two of Bridge to High School for our newest DTS students.  The week before, we welcomed them to the program and to their new high school in DTS style, with staff, interns, and returning high school students all participating in our programming. Students took a detailed tour of the campus led by 10th, 11th and 12th graders, began to observe their own habits in terms of time management and stress responses, received their fitness trackers and began a competitive virtual walk to their interns’ college campuses, and learned about the addictive quality of sugar…

It’s official! The High School 2019 Class is now the College 2023 Class. Soon they will head to campuses near and far, including Occidental College, Bates College, UC Davis, and College of the Holy Cross to name a few. To prepare for this milestone, students spent a week in our Bridge to College program, where they practiced stress reduction techniques, learned how to map out a course syllabus, created self-care kits, and discussed the ins and outs of college life. They had the special opportunity to work with DTS students one and three years ahead of them, who passed down…

A camping we will go!  During early June, DTS students and staff spent three beautiful days and two fun nights in nature, disconnecting from their phones, tablets and computers, to connect with themselves and one another.  Led by Camp Director Jamie Phillips, the days were full of swimming, rock wall climbing, archery, arts and crafts, and canoeing.  Evenings were spent around the campfire making s’mores, participating in team building activities, and even staging a talent show.   DTS Outdoors facilitates bonding as a group and nudges students out of their comfort zones.  For many of our high school students, DTS Outdoors…

After some 2,500 hours spent in Determined to Succeed’s program during their high school careers, the class of 2019 have been accepted to a host of California universities, as well as many private colleges across the country. We could not be more proud of our graduating seniors and cannot wait to learn about their final decisions!

A big congratulations to Ernesto (left in photo) and David (right)of the High School 2020 Class for all their hard work  – they both scored in the TOP 2.5% of ALL Hispanic/Latino students in California on the PSAT/NMSQT! AND in continuing to blaze his own trail, David has been accepted to the highly selective Franklin & Marshall College Prep Program. David will spend 3 weeks this summer on campus in Lancaster, PA while he takes classes taught by college professors.  All expenses are covered by Franklin and Marshall College and David will receive a $500 stipend once he completes the program.

Diana, member of the College 2020 Class, is a junior at Franklin & Marshall College whose passion for public health has led her to studies in China and India, with South Africa, Vietnam and Argentina to come this fall.  Eager to maximize her college experience, she was also recently accepted to the highly competitive University of Michigan Future Public Health Leaders Program for the summer. This impressive young woman is not only pursuing her dreams in college, but is also maintaining connection to her community by serving on the DTS Student Advisory Board, leading summer book club discussions, and acting as a mentor and…