Breakthrough Central Texas hosted “Your Journey, Your Future,” at Eastside Early College High School (Eastside ECHS) to commemorate the graduation of 146 students from the organization’s Schoolwide Program who had received comprehensive, year-round postsecondary advising.
The “Your Journey, Your Future” celebration honored all students’ progress on the postsecondary pathway of their choosing, including associate and bachelor’s degrees, trades, vocations, licensures, and certificate programs. The event featured representatives from local colleges and universities, a video with special messages to graduating students from parents and caregivers, and student testimonials from senior letters.
Through a combination of individualized student advising services and capacity-building services for school personnel, Breakthrough’s Schoolwide Program implemented systems to improve postsecondary outcomes across the entire school. The program launched at Eastside ECHS in 2023 with the enrollment of all eleventh-grade students. Students received up to six years of advising and career readiness support to complete their postsecondary goals. Since the launch of the program, the number of students completing steps to enroll in college had doubled. Nearly 80% of students from the Class of 2025 completed college applications, with a total of 309 acceptances.
“Breakthrough instilled students with life-changing confidence,” said Chief Schools Officer Kendra Strange. “We were the boots on the ground, working with students day in and day out to help them identify their goals and ensure they had the tools they needed to reach them. As this first class of Eastside Panthers graduated from the Schoolwide Program, you could feel the culture shift and the positive belief that continuing education was an accessible possibility for all students in East Austin.”
Eastside ECHS was the first school within Austin Independent School District to receive Schoolwide Program services from Breakthrough Central Texas. Originally L.C. Anderson High School, the school served East Austin for 82 years before being closed by a federal court as part of desegregation in 1971. A dedicated group of L.C. Anderson alumni fought to have the school reinstated to demonstrate that quality education could be achieved in East Austin. As an educational partner dedicated to students’ long-term success, Breakthrough aimed to honor Eastside ECHS’s past and build a promising future for all students, even in one of the city’s most historically marginalized communities.
“Breakthrough’s Schoolwide Program had a transformative impact on our scholars’ postsecondary preparation and long-term success,” said Eastside ECHS Interim Principal Dr. Susan Thames. “The program’s design—rooted in sustained, individualized support—effectively bridged gaps that often hindered low-income and first-generation scholars from accessing and thriving in higher education. At Eastside, where scholars often faced systemic barriers to college access, Breakthrough’s presence offered clear pathways. From college exploration and application assistance to financial aid guidance and transitional support, Breakthrough equipped students with the tools, confidence, and resources to succeed beyond high school.”