In middle school, Leo believed he was incapable of earning anything other than F’s.  He took great measures to avoid being accountable- lying to his teachers, cutting class and getting high in the bathroom. Then, one day he heard that he could get free pizza at lunch if he showed up for a presentation. This disinterested but hungry middle schooler grabbed a slice and listened to me talk about how Determined to Succeed (DTS) could provide the support he needed to graduate from high school and college. He excitedly told his mom about the program but she said there was no…

Last Tuesday afternoon, DTS high school students were warmly welcomed at the Wonderful Company for a career exploration visit. Students had the opportunity to tour the corporate offices and connect with a panel of executives who candidly shared their career experience.  Students asked questions about salary ranges, work/life balance, and educational backgrounds. Seeing themselves reflected in the panelists who were all first generation college graduates makes their aspirations of college and career more tangible. One 10th grader reflected, “I loved all the art throughout the building, the creative co-working spaces, and learning that there are so many different jobs I…

Katherine, member of the College 2020 Class, credits DTS with providing pivotal support as she worked to achieve her goals – graduating from college and entering a career in the art world. Last year, she joined the DTS Board of Directors in order to participate in the strategic planning and development of the organization; ensuring it continues to provide essential support for underserved students on their path to and through college. Today, Katherine is an Art Fair Assistant at Gagosian Gallery in New York City. Together with the Global Director of Art Fairs, she is responsible for producing more than…

This week, Mario Santos came to Hamilton to speak about his journey through high school, UC Santa Cruz and to his current position as an accountant at Connected Accounting. Mario candidly answered students’ questions about his biggest challenges, his college experience, and even his current salary. Afterwards, one 9th grader shared, “I am more motivated to do well in school after hearing Mario talk.  My parents also do manual labor and meeting Mario shows me that people like me can go to college and can get high paying jobs that they like.”

A warm welcome back to Gabi Hernandez and Isaiah Tulanda, graduates of UC Davis and Claremont McKenna College respectively. We are excited to have them return to DTS as the newest members of our staff team! They will work directly with high school students as Advisors.  As DTS alumni, they are uniquely equipped for the work – they bring their experience and their understanding of the challenges our students face.  Isaiah shares, “I am thrilled to be working for Determined to Succeed to give back to a program that changed the trajectory of my life. To pay forward all the love, care, consideration, and patience that…

We are thrilled to share that all of our college freshmen are at their respective campuses and have begun fall classes.  Thank you to our generous college dorm sponsors who made sure each student was ready for their new home away from home and for providing outerwear for the students headed to colder climates.