The Problem
Half of Arizona’s public high schools have college completion rates of 5% or less.
The lost potential is staggering!
Our Solution
Education
Debunking the myth that college is unattainable for low-income students due to cost.
Exposure to colleges with excellent financial aid, making college affordable.
Finding the right college fit.
Understanding financial aid.
Focused Guidance
On course selection with emphasis on challenging core courses.
On what to do outside of the classroom.
On strategies for time management and organization.
On local and national scholarship opportunities.
Skills Development
Self-advocacy and resiliency training.
Leadership training.
Writing skills development.
Standardized test preparation.
Access to Challenging & Empowering Experiences
Residential pre-college summer programs.
Outdoor leadership experiences.
Campus visit programs.
Academic enhancement opportunities.
Setting the Bar High
Working hard.
Taking personal responsibility.
Honoring commitments.
Pursuing excellence.
““Words cannot describe how blessed I feel to have come across STEP. I will never stop being grateful.””
Our Results
After years of working with students in our expedition-only program and seeing higher college persistence and graduation rates - but not high enough - we launched our more comprehensive College-Prep Program.
Since the start of our College-Prep Program:
HS Graduation
100%
College Enrollment
99%
College Persistence
96%
Our alumni are thriving at schools around the country, including:
Arizona State University
Barnard College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Claremont McKenna College
Colgate University
Colorado College
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Emory University
Georgetown University
Grinnell College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Lehigh University
MIT
Middlebury College
Mt. Holyoke College
Northern Arizona University
Occidental College
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Rice University
Scripps College
Smith College
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Trinity College
Tufts University
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
University of Arizona
UCLA
University of Chicago
UNC – Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Oxford
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College
““STEP has acquired a strong reputation with colleges because there’s a lot of work on the students’ part. These are really committed students and STEP is obviously a transformative experience.””
Beyond the Degree
Our alumni are already having an impact in their families, communities, and the world as role models and young leaders.
Generational change starts with just one “STEP”.
““I’m that 1%. I want to serve as a role model for future students. If younger students can see someone like them be successful, they will be inspired to pursue their own dreams.””
““STEP’s training was huge for me during my years at the Naval Academy. I want to inspire people, just like STEP did for me.””
““STEP trained me to be a leader but also to be compassionate, aware, and empathetic towards others. I look forward to bringing this into my future medical practice.”
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