Determined to Succeed

As the staff member with the least regular personal contact with students and families, I wasn’t sure whether, from my bird’s eye view, I would really see the impact of my own work. I came to DTS not as an educator, but as an attorney who liked to build and better businesses and organizations, and with a passion for advocating…
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Last summer, Drew*, who was 3,000 miles away at Franklin and Marshall College, texted to tell me he was homesick. I knew this feeling well, as I am a first generation college student who chose to leave my home in Los Angeles to attend a college on the other side of the country. Drew, a rising 12th grader at the…
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This semester I have worked closely with Dave*, helping him navigate personal and academic hurdles. As a rising junior, Dave enrolled in multiple AP classes, but the rigor and the work load were much greater than he anticipated.  Instead of the single hour of homework he was used to, he now had several hours of work per class. At first,…
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I was inspired to work with Determined to Succeed after hearing the success stories of the students – they were matriculating not only to local and state schools, but by reaching for the stars, they were attending some of the most prestigious schools in the country. As a child of immigrant parents, I understand how real the struggle is to…
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