We’re thrilled to share Mission Graduates’ 2025 Annual Report—a celebration of what became possible last year when our community came together to support students and families across San Francisco. In a year marked by uncertainty, our community responded with determination. When federal policies threatened educational resources, we strengthened partnerships. When the FAFSA crisis hit California—resulting […]
Celebrating Community: Our Open House on 16th Street
Last week, we opened our doors at 3040 16th Street to celebrate our newly renovated office—and the Mission community showed up in full force. A Night of Connection and Commitment The evening began with remarks from District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who spoke about our shared commitment to Mission District students and families. Her words […]
Food for Thought 2025: Everyone Has a Seat at This Table
Everyone has a seat at this table. Today, we’re thrilled to officially launch Food for Thought 2025 – our 16th annual celebration of community, education, and the transformative power of coming together around a shared belief: every San Francisco student deserves the chance to thrive. This isn’t just our annual fundraising campaign. It’s a month-long […]
Empowering Parent Leaders: 16th Annual Summer Leadership Institute Wraps Up
Mission Graduates’ Parent Partner Program recently concluded its 16th Annual Summer Leadership Institute, a two-week intensive training that equipped 40 parent leaders with the skills and confidence to advocate for educational equity in their school communities. Building Community Advocates The Parent Partner Program uses the Promotora model—training community members to provide peer-to-peer support and advocacy. […]
The Power of One-on-One: A Writing Partner’s Impact
For Natalie Bess Picciano, being a writing partner combines her passion for education with the joy of one-on-one mentoring. “I was an English teacher for six years, and while I loved teaching juniors about college essays, I always felt starved for time to give students the feedback they deserved because there were 100 of them,” […]
A Legacy of Educational Support: The Joseph Pedott Perpetual Endowment Trust
Joseph Pedott’s commitment to educational equity stemmed from personal experience. As a teenager, he lived at a YMCA while working full-time and attending school. With support from a Chicago organization providing financial assistance and mentorship, he graduated high school and earned his degree from the University of Illinois. That education laid the foundation for his […]
Continuing Support Through the College Journey
Four years after immigrating to San Francisco, Emujin Batzorig is charting her course in data science at the University of Virginia. A member of College Connect who arrived in 2021 and lived with her aunt while attending Galileo High School, she’s now part of UVA’s unique B.S. in Data Science program, where she works closely […]
From Future Center to UC Berkeley: A College Access Success Story
For Josue Hernandez, Mission High School’s Future Center started as a place to get help with college applications. It became a daily part of his path to higher education. While balancing his studies with an after-school tutoring job, Josue first visited the Future Center after a Mission Graduates presentation in his AVID class during junior […]
Growing Through Support: A Marshall Elementary Success Story
Since kindergarten, Joaquin Leiva has been part of Marshall Elementary’s Extended Day Program, where his journey reflects the transformative power of comprehensive student support. His story demonstrates how addressing social-emotional needs creates a foundation for academic success. In his early days, managing emotions was a challenge. The program staff found creative ways to help: Program […]
From College Connect to UCSF: Building a Path to Medicine
College Connect alumna Dara Fonseca Balladares recently achieved a significant milestone: publishing her first-author manuscript at UCSF. Her work on pulmonary hypertension marks another step toward medical school, on a journey supported by Mission Graduates since high school. During her time at UC Merced, Mission Graduates remained a steady source of support through academic challenges […]