Breakthrough Experiences

When Jabrell first joined Breakthrough in 6th grade, little did he know he would be creating a legacy for his family — one his youngest brother could follow, and eventually his own children. Today, he describes becoming a first-generation college graduate as one of his biggest accomplishments. He recalls his middle school summers taking Bus 18 to the UT campus, an experience that led him to become an AmeriCorps summer teaching fellow further allowing him to give back to the community by working with kids whose shoes he was once in. Fast forward 4 years, Jabrell now holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a minor in Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Jabrell was one of more than 50 Breakthrough students who became the first in the family to earn a college degree during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To say being a high school senior in 2020 is a unique experience is a shocking understatement. I am one of thousands of first-generation college aspirants in Central Texas navigating my high school senior year in the age of Coronavirus. This is my story.”

Jennifer Rodriguez is a recent graduate of Manor Senior High School Class of 2020, and has been part of the Breakthrough program since she was in 6th grade. This coming fall, Jennifer will attend the University of Texas at Austin where she will pursue a degree in...

Just last summer, Stevie spent 6 weeks teaching English Language Arts and Tech Research to a group of Breakthrough 9th graders. Wide eyed and eager to learn, she saw the same gleam of curiosity and excitement in her students that she remembered in herself. Nine years ago Stevie joined Breakthrough with the same college dreams as her students. Today, she is a junior at Bennington College and will be walking the stage in May 2021.

Coming from a single parent household, I am no stranger to hard work. Growing up, I saw my mother work countless hours to support our family. Her ability to see every struggle as an opportunity gave me optimism for the future despite the hardships we faced. So, when I heard about this program called Breakthrough that promised to help me from 6th grade through college, my mom and I realized that this was the key to unlocking our shared dream.

Thank you for listening to my story and for supporting Breakthrough. You are giving me and other students the opportunity of a lifetime: To be able to graduate from college and make our mark on the world.

James Carter joined Breakthrough in 2007 when he was just a 6th grader at Kealing Middle School. Six years later, he graduated from St. Stephen’s and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with Honors in English Literature from Rice University.