2025 Impact Report-FINAL-digital

Impact Report 2025

Dear Friends,

This summer marked a milestone for Breakthrough Summerbridge (BTSB) when we gathered for the first time in our host school’s new space at 3150 California Street. Our students and Teaching Fellows quickly filled this state-of-the-art building with joy, camaraderie, and BTSB energy, establishing “New building, same spirit” as the theme that ran throughout the summer.

We are grateful to San Francisco University High School (UHS) for its enduring partnership and investment in BTSB, which allows our students to enjoy all the academic and social benefits of the new campus. This summer’s All-School Meetings and other events became even more lively as students enjoyed the increased space and pep-rally atmosphere in UHS’ new gym. Many were excited by the novelty of having class in new open-air gathering spaces. Six state-of-the-art lab classrooms and versatile indoor commons opened new opportunities for hands-on learning and enabled Teaching Fellows to design enhanced lessons, labs, team-building activities, and celebrations.

As we settled into the new campus, Breakthrough National introduced a refreshed visual identity, showcased in our new logo and other elements of this year’s impact report. Alongside our move, this updated branding reflects the vibrancy of our program and our connection to the Breakthrough network. New look, same spirit!

This year’s report highlights BTSB’s impact on our Teaching Fellows (TFs), whose commitment is vital to our program’s success. Kaitlin and Lena’s stories (pages 6 and 7) demonstrate how BTSB shapes the education and career trajectories of both students and TFs for years to come. Their journeys also illustrate the enduring relationships that develop through our near-peer model, where college students mentor middle schoolers and, in doing so, grow alongside them.

As always, thank you for being part of the BTSB community. You make it possible for us to sustain programming that uplifts students, celebrates learning, and opens doors to a world of possibilities.

To our alumni, your legacy is alive in BTSB’s new space! I invite you to reach out any time to reconnect, share your successes and challenges, or volunteer.

With Breakthrough Summerbridge Spirit,

Dara Northcroft

Dara Northcroft, Executive Director

BTSB Today!

BREAKTHROUGH SUMMERBRIDGE is a tuition-free, year-round, summer-intensive academic enrichment and advocacy program. We support highly motivated, traditionally underrepresented students to achieve post-secondary success, and recruit, inspire, and develop the next generation of educators and youth advocates.

Founded at San Francisco University High School (UHS) in 1978, we are the original site and inspiration for the Breakthrough Collaborative, which now includes a network of 25 affiliates throughout the United States.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• Provide enrichment to support student success in their school-year programming

• Comprehensively assist all students with admission to college preparatory high schools

• Provide students with support and resources to successfully navigate the college-going process and gain college admission

• Provide guidance, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities that encourage Teaching Fellows to pursue careers in youth development and/or education

• Empower and provide resources for parents to support their children on the path to college

EACH YEAR

Each year, 100 students participate in our intensive six-week summer program and school-year enrichment, engaging in over 100 hours of academic instruction and social-emotional skill-building.

18 Teaching Fellows lead all academic and extracurricular activities while building lasting, supportive, near-peer relationships with students.

These Fellows are guided by 9 Instructional Coaches, experienced educators who provide hands-on mentorship in lesson planning, classroom management, and effective teaching practices. This learning model strengthens student outcomes while equipping Teaching Fellows with instructional and leadership skills they carry forward long after their BTSB experience.

“What is truly special about Breakthrough Summerbridge is the community aspect. Getting the opportunity to be taught by high school and college students who are truly passionate about what they are teaching has been one of my favorite things. They’ve really made me feel a sense of belonging and that my interests matter. My confidence has soared, and now I feel comfortable connecting with new people, asking questions, and sharing my thoughts with others and in class.”

Bella - 9th grade

OUR STUDENTS

91%

Come from lowincome households

62%

Are part of multilingual families

61%

Will be first-generation college students

WHAT STUDENTS SAY...

I felt connected to my Breakthrough community. 82% 89% 86% 86%

The academic material (math, literature, writing, science) from this summer challenged me to learn new things.

I formed strong relationships with Teaching Fellows this summer.

I could easily receive help from Teaching Fellows when I needed it.

“One person that made an impact on my life from BTSB is my Teaching Fellow Michelle. Math was one of my least favorite subjects when I first started Breakthrough, but now I really enjoy it. Michelle helped me find my love for this subject because she made learning math interesting and creative.”

Mayari - 7th grade

OUR STUDENTS START THE SCHOOL YEAR READY TO EXCEL

On average, students lose about two months of reading and math skills during the summer.

Our 2025 post-summer academic assessment showed that we are effectively addressing this “summer slide.”

SUCCESS BEYOND SUMMERBRIDGE

98%

Average student retention rate over the course of our 3-year program

95%

Students enroll in academically rigorous college prep high schools

Between the beginning and end of Breakthrough programming:

93% of students either improved or maintained grade-level expected skills in Math

88% of student either improved or maintained grade-level expected skills in Reading

80%

Students who complete BTSB go on to graduate from fouryear colleges

KAITLIN DANG

Kaitlin Dang began Breakthrough Summerbridge as a seventh grader. “Growing up, I always really liked school and really liked learning,” she said. “I was looking for an opportunity to challenge myself academically”.

As a BTSB student, Kaitlin found other people her age who shared her motivation. “It was really nice to have peers who cared about academics and wanted to be challenged.” She also said she “had some awesome connections with my Teaching Fellows when I was a student,” including Lena, of course (see following page).

These relationships inspired her to apply as a Teaching Fellow after graduating from high school. “My intention that first summer was giving back to the community… to the program that got me to where I am now.” By the end of her first summer as a TF, Kaitlin realized she truly enjoyed the work. “That’s when I started thinking about teaching as a career path,” she said.

BTSB has taught Kaitlin valuable lessons that she applies in her academic life at Brown University. “To be flexible and adaptable to work with other people to achieve the same goal is a skill I use regularly,” says Kaitlin. She also highlights how much she has learned from the program’s mentoring style. At BTSB, “it never really feels like Admin or Instructional Coaches are ‘telling me what to do’… it feels more like a conversation, like I’m able to bounce ideas off them.” What has stayed with Kaitlin is the feeling that others “value what I have to contribute,” especially when she and her colleagues “combine what we all think and produce something really cool.”

One of the things Kaitlin values most about her three summers as a TF is the opportunity to watch students transform from 7th to 9th grade. “There are several students who began the program shy and reserved, including one girl whose voice I barely ever heard the entire first summer.” By 9th grade, that same student was speaking up, engaging with her teachers, and carrying herself with much more confidence. The shift in this student was evident both in the classroom and in team-building extracurricular activities. “It was one of the most amazing things to see a student evolve that way,” she says.

As both a student and a Teaching Fellow, Kaitlin found herself surrounded by people who shared her drive, curiosity, and belief in what students can accomplish. “It was the people who really made Summerbridge so exciting for me as a student,” she said, and she feels the same way as a TF. “Everyone has a similar shared passion for teaching and supporting students.” This connection extends beyond the classroom. Whether as a student or a TF, “that sense of community never really goes away,” she said. “Everyone is still connected. It’s one of the most important things about the program.”

Kaitlin Dang was a BTSB student in middle school (2016–2018), later returned as a volunteer during high school, and then served as a Teaching Fellow for three consecutive summers (2023–2025). She currently attends Brown University, where she is a junior studying Applied Mathematics and Biology (Class of 2027).

LENA HYMEL

When Lena Hymel first visited a Breakthrough site as a Boston College student in 2018, the program made an immediate impression. She recognized right away that it was “literally my dream job.” That summer, Lena joined Breakthrough Summerbridge as a Teaching Fellow (TF), marking the beginning of an experience that continues to influence her career today. Currently, she teaches and leads the English department at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon.

Lena served for three summers as a TF, four years as an Instructional Coach, and, most recently, as BTSB’s interim Director of Programming and Instruction. Each role strengthened her skills and confidence. “I look back at the teacher I was when I started and who I am now, and a lot of what I do goes back to how I learned to teach at BTSB,” she explains. “The lessons where I’ve been most successful are almost always like the ones built on Summerbridge principles.”

As an Instructional Coach, Lena has mentored TFs, observing lessons throughout the summer that work and, on occasion, some that don’t quite “land”, which gives her perspective on her own teaching. This reflective process, she adds, keeps her sharp throughout the year. “Working with TFs throughout the summers helps me avoid my own kind of ‘summer slide.’ It keeps my teaching tools fine-tuned so I can jump right back in again in the fall.”

Lena & Kaitlin, 2025

Lena notes BTSB’s influence in the long-term relationships she builds with her own students. She describes one student preparing to be the first in her family to attend college. When Lena asked her where she wanted to go to college, the student was surprised. “No teacher has ever asked me that,” she told her. This moment crystallized the impact of the BTSB belief that students rise when we expect and plan for their success. The relationship with this student, which extended years past her time in Lena’s class, “reminded me of Summerbridge,” she says, “these one-on-one conversations where a student was struggling or didn’t have a growth mindset, and I really got to work with them one-on-one to develop.”

Now 28, Lena leads her high school English department and mentors new teachers. “It’s funny,” she says, “I’m the same age as a lot of people in my master’s program who are just getting their credentials, but I’ve had years of coaching and leading already through BTSB.”

This past summer, when Lena returned to the Breakthrough campus, it was alongside Kaitlin, one of her former middle-school students who is now a Teaching Fellow herself. “Some of the students from my first-ever BTSB class have become Teaching Fellows,” she says. “It’s really weird—but in the best way.”

Lena Hymel served as a Teaching Fellow (2018-2020), an Instructional Coach (2021-2024), and interim Director of Program Instruction (2025). She earned her undergraduate degree from Boston College (Class of 2020), where she studied Secondary Education, English, and Music, and now teaches English in the Bay Area, where she is also a department chair and an induction mentor for new teachers. Lena is currently pursuing her master’s in education with a concentration in interdisciplinary studies at Dominican University of California.

COLLEGE & CAREER DAY

Breakthrough Summerbridge’s College & Career Day is more than an event, it’s a catalyst for equity and opportunity. By connecting students with real-world experiences on regional campuses and in local workplaces, we complement hands-on classroom learning and empower young people to envision their futures.

In 2025, our ninth graders were immersed in the world of HR, finance, and cutting-edge agentic AI during their visit to Workday, where they learned about careers shaping tomorrow’s economy. Eighth graders explored UC Berkeley, gaining insight into life at one of the nation’s most prestigious public universities and seeing that these pathways are within their grasp. Seventh graders experienced their first taste of college at San Francisco State University, where 96% of students come from in-state (many directly from the Bay Area), affirming that higher education is not just possible, but attainable.

Through these experiences, BTSB equips students with the knowledge, confidence, and networks they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world, advancing educational equity and preparing the next generation of leaders.

EXTENDING AND STRENGTHENING IMPACT THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL WITH COLLEGE ACCESS

PROGRAMMING (CAP)

The continuity of BTSB’s model is one of our key strengths. By remaining present throughout the pivotal middle school years, we provide students with a stable, long-term network of mentors, educators, and peers. This year, we expanded programming to sustain engagement with students as they transition into high school, offering more intentional guidance as they prepare for and apply to college.

Today’s college landscape is more complex than ever. Our students, many of whom will be the first in their families to attend college, face a vast array of options and requirements. The combination of heightened aspirations, significant choices, and unfamiliar processes can make navigating the path forward challenging without trusted support.

To meet this need, BTSB has launched our College Access Program (CAP)—an extension of our model that now supports students from high school entry through college admission. CAP empowers students and their families with essential information, resources, and personalized guidance, helping them confidently navigate each step from 9th grade to the college application process.

“A highlight of being a part of CAP was understanding more about the importance of keeping track of our GPAs on our journey to college.”

The program began in fall 2024 with weekend workshops and family education seminars for 9th graders (Class of 2028) and their caregivers. CAP now serves both 9th and 10th graders, with plans to expand annually until it supports students throughout their entire high school journey. By providing continuous support through all four years of high school, CAP will deepen BTSB’s long-term impact and ensure students are prepared for post-secondary success. Looking ahead, we will further enrich CAP by adding SAT preparation, facilitated college visits, financial aid advising, and individualized academic planning.

“CAP helps you start with a solid foundation in freshman year by expanding interests, joining clubs, making new friends, managing stress, etc., so that when you are in junior/ senior year and college, it’s easier to manage things.”

90%

...of the students participating in the inaugural year of CAP reported gaining knowledge that would be valuable in their pursuit of college admission.

28%

Are returning TFs or BTSB alumni

50% Are majoring in STEM

32% Are first generation college students

OUR TEACHING FELLOWS

Our Teaching Fellows (TFs) come to us from regions throughout the country—from as near as the Bay Area to as far as the East Coast.

“I’m walking away from this summer with more than just teaching experience, lesson plans, and classroom memories. I’m leaving with a deeper understanding of what it means to lead with care, to be flexible, to listen with intention, and to show up with all versions of myself...there’s something truly special about creating a space where students feel safe enough to be silly, bold enough to ask questions, and confident enough to take up space. That’s what we built here, and that’s what I’ll carry with me.“

- Michelle, TF

83%

Identify as people of color

44% Identify as male

33% Have demonstrated financial need

93%

...of TFs reported pre-teaching summer orientation taught them how to use data to inform their instruction - a vast improvement from 69% in 2024!

Total Revenue: $776,685

San Francisco University High School provides our program facilities (including state-of-the-art lab classrooms) and administrative space and covers the majority of our overhead costs. Thus, philanthropic support for BTSB is allocated directly to our programming for youth.

Invest with a Contribution

Total Expenses: $776,685

Your donation goes directly to support BTSB programming. Many workplaces have matching gift programs—an opportunity to double your impact!

Donate now by scanning the QR code or visiting www.sfuhs.org/summerbridge/support-summerbridge.

Corporate Volunteerism

Does your employer have a Community Investment or Charitable Giving program? Would your business host our students or provide volunteers or hands-on learning activities?

To discuss corporate collaboration email Executive Director Dara Northcroft at dara.northcroft@sfuhs.org.

Help Us Recruit Talent from Across the Country

Volunteer to host a Teaching Fellow over the summer. To volunteer and learn more about our Homestay program email Executive Director Dara Northcroft at dara.northcroft@sfuhs.org

Your involvement positively impacts the lives of the students and teaching fellows in our community. Thank you!