Mission Graduates in the News
Discover stories of student achievement, program impact, and community partnerships featured in the media. Read how our collective work strengthens educational opportunities for San Francisco’s youth and families.
Mission Graduates joins UCSF’s PEDAL initiative, training community health workers to recognize addiction, educate about it, and connect resources for addiction support in San Francisco’s Latinx community.
Mission Housing podcast features CEO Edward Kaufman discussing educational challenges and opportunities in San Francisco. Learn about Mission Graduates’ work addressing systemic barriers and creating stronger futures for local…
A feature of CPO Natalie Guandique’s journey from global educator to Mission Graduates leadership. Learn about her impact on after-school programs and professional development for staff.
CEO Edward Kaufman appears on KTVU’s The Four to promote “Dine Out, Do Good” week. Local restaurants donate portions of proceeds to support Mission Graduates’ educational programs for San…
San Francisco Examiner highlights Mission Graduates’ perspective on the new school year, with CEO Edward Kaufman discussing how the organization continues adapting to support students despite potential district changes.
Mission Graduates celebrates 85 newcomer students at Everett Middle School with an “Excellence Dinner” recognizing their academic achievements, language progress, and successful adaptation to life in San Francisco.
⤴️ Middle school was the turning point
When Kassandra entered Everett Middle School, she was struggling with reclassification—the process of testing out of English Learner status. If she didn’t pass, her access to college-prep classes in high school would be severely limited.
Her mother Kati was terrified. She wasn’t working at the school yet; she was a mom on the outside, needing to trust that her daughter was in good hands.
She had to trust the village. And because of donors like you, the village was ready.
💬 “Kassandra asked for help, and teachers met her in the library during lunch to practice. She put in the work, and she passed.”
This is what your support creates: a safety net of mentors who show up when students need them most.
The data proves why this matters:
🌟 93% of principals say Mission Graduates helps students grow socio-emotionally
🌟 80% of families say their child developed new social skills through our programs
For middle schoolers, those skills—confidence, belonging, conflict resolution—are just as critical as academic support.
Today, Kati isn’t just a mom on the outside anymore. She’s a Promotora inside the Everett Beacon, guiding the next generation of families through the same challenges she faced.
Every student deserves a safety net. Will you be part of their village?
➡️ Donate today: <Link in Bio>
#EducationEquity #MiddleSchool #MentorshipMatters #MissionGraduates
When Kassandra entered kindergarten, she was anxious and shy. Today, she’s a college freshman studying nursing at San Francisco State—working as a Certified Nursing Assistant while earning her degree.
For 13 years, Mission Graduates showed up at every stage:
📚 Elementary: literacy support and belonging
📖 Middle school: reclassification help
🏥 High school: guidance to find nursing programs and navigate financial aid
🎓 College: persistence support and scholarships
She entered college with a nursing license and a full scholarship.
But there’s another story here: her mother Kati transformed from navigating an overwhelming system to becoming a Promotora—a parent leader guiding hundreds of families at Everett Middle School.
This is two-generation impact. Nationally, only 24% of first-gen students graduate college. Our students? 58%.
This December, your gift creates the comprehensive support that changes those odds—from kindergarten through career.
👉 Learn more: <Link in Bio>
#EducationEquity #FirstGen #SanFrancisco #YearEndGiving
🚀 Make your year-end giving go further
As we head into the final weeks of 2025, we want to share some tax-smart giving options that can maximize your impact while providing significant benefits.
Strategic ways to support Mission Graduates:
🔸 Stock Gifts: Donate appreciated stock to claim a tax deduction for full market value while avoiding capital gains tax
🔸 Donor Advised Funds: Recommend a grant from your DAF for immediate support
🔸 QCDs: If you’re 70½+, donate up to $105,000 directly from your IRA
🔸 Employer Matching: Double your impact through workplace giving programs
🔸 Community Thrift: Turn unused items into educational resources
Time-sensitive: Stock transfers and employer matching can take several weeks. To count for 2025, you’ll want to initiate by mid-December.
When you give strategically, you’re creating pathways for students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college. You’re funding the academic support, college advising, and consistent presence that helps them navigate every step—from mastering reading and writing in elementary school to completing financial aid forms and graduating at twice the rate of their first-generation peers.
Ready to make your year-end gift? Visit our Ways to Give page for details: <Link in Bio>
#YearEndGiving #EducationEquity #MissionGraduates #StrategicGiving #SanFrancisco
🚀🌕 Today is about the students who will be first.
First in their families to graduate from college. First to navigate financial aid forms their parents can’t help them decode. First to walk across a stage and receive a diploma that opens doors no one in their family has walked through before.
96% of our College Connect seniors are heading to 4-year colleges this fall—nearly three times the state average. They graduate at twice the rate of their first-generation peers nationally. That doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens because of mentors who show up consistently. Programs that guide them through every step. And supporters who believe their potential is worth investing in.
This Giving Tuesday, your gift creates these pathways. Every dollar matters.
🤝 Donate: <Link in Bio>
#GivingTuesday #FirstGen #MissionGraduates #EducationEquity
🧡 Over 50 years in the Mission District. 3,800+ students and families served annually. One clear commitment: we’re not going anywhere.
This Giving Tuesday isn’t just about today—it’s about the long game. The kind of sustained presence that transforms a neighborhood over generations.
It’s the parent who becomes a Promotora, advocating for other families navigating the same challenges she once faced. The elementary student who joins our after-school program and returns years later as a mentor. The high school senior we guide to college who graduates and comes back to strengthen the community that raised them.
This is what generational change looks like. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen alone.
Your Giving Tuesday donation isn’t funding a single year—it’s investing in a cycle of support that lifts entire families and transforms communities for decades to come.
👉 Join us in the long game: <Link in Bio>
#GivingTuesday #GenerationalChange #MissionGraduates #CommunityInvestment
💬 👩👧 “What I’m really thankful for is that my mom could learn too.”
Esme’s journey with Mission Graduates started when she was just 9 years old—tagging along with her cousin to our College Connect office.
By high school, she enrolled herself in the program. And here’s what made College Connect life-changing: it wasn’t just what it taught her. It was what it taught her mother.
While Esme learned about college applications and essays, her mom attended workshops on financial aid, FAFSA, and what college could mean for their family.
“We were both learning at the same time,” Esme remembers.
That partnership—mother and daughter learning side by side—changed everything for their family. “My mom could tell you a lot now. She can tell you everything!” Esme says proudly.
This is Mission Graduates’ two-generation model in action: we don’t just support students—we empower entire families to navigate educational systems together.
⭕ That foundation launched Esme into education. Today, as a Beacon Director at Sanchez Elementary, she’s creating that same experience for the next generation of families.
➡️ Invest in two-generation support: <Link in Bio>
#MissionGraduates #TwoGeneration #FamilyEmpowerment #EducationEquity #SanFrancisco #CollegeAccess
Still glowing from Saturday’s Girls on the Run 5K! 💖
More than 2,000 runners, families, coaches, and supporters gathered for this incredible celebration—and we were proud to be there cheering on our Marshall Elementary students as they crossed the finish line, medals in hand and confidence soaring.
Girls on the Run brings so much to our Extended Day Program at Marshall. Throughout the season, trained volunteer coaches blend physical activity with essential life skills: managing emotions, fostering friendships, and building empathy. The 5K marks the culmination of months of growth, teamwork, and determination.
🥇 According to our Marshall Program Director, Mrs. B, many of the girls are still wearing their medals today. That’s the kind of pride and accomplishment we love to see.
Thank you to Girls on the Run of the Bay Area for partnering with us to create these transformative experiences. And a huge congratulations to our Marshall students—your joy, strength, and determination made Saturday unforgettable.
#MissionGraduates #GirlsOnTheRun #CommunityImpact #MarshallElementary #StudentSuccess #SanFrancisco
Esme wasn’t enrolled in our College Connect programs. She was just there—a 9-year-old tagging along with her older cousin.
💬 “At first, I didn’t know what exactly it was. All I knew was that my cousin was going. She was trying to get to college.”
She’d sit in the corner of the office at Mission Graduates. Observing. Listening. Not understanding the practice SATs or college applications, but absorbing it all. She watched her cousin work on essays, take practice tests, meet with counselors—all the steps toward college that felt distant and abstract to a 9-year-old.
But something was taking root. She was seeing what was possible. Years later, when it was her turn in high school, she remembered those Saturday mornings. She applied to College Connect herself—and what happened next transformed not just her future, but her entire family’s.
💡 This is why your support matters: sometimes transformation starts with a child who’s “just tagging along.” You never know which 9-year-old in the corner will become the leader who serves hundreds.
💫 Today, Esme is our Beacon Director at Sanchez Elementary, providing that same opportunity to students and families across San Francisco.
Support the next generation of leaders: <Link in bio>
#EducationAccess #CollegeConnect #YouthLeadership #MissionGraduates
🧡 For many newcomer and immigrant families in San Francisco, this is a time of deep uncertainty. When the world outside feels unwelcoming, where can they turn?
At Mission Graduates, we provide an answer: a sanctuary where students and families find support from kindergarten to career.
This fall, we’re sharing the story of Esme—our Beacon Director at Sanchez Elementary —who understands this journey firsthand because she lived it.
Her story started at 9 years old, tagging along with her cousin to our College Connect program. Today, she leads hundreds of students and families, providing the same deep, two-generation support that transformed her own life.
“I’m here for the kids. I’m here for the families, and I’m just going to do as much as I can with the resources and the budget that we have.”
✨ This is the power of your investment: when you support one student, you nurture a future leader who will return to uplift their entire community.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll share Esme’s full story—and invite you to be part of creating more stories like hers.
👉 Learn more: <Link in bio>
#MissionGraduates #EducationEquity #SanFrancisco #TwoGenerationSupport
🧡 What an evening!
Last week, we opened our doors to celebrate our newly renovated office at 3040 16th Street—and the Mission community showed up in a big way.
Supervisor Jackie Fielder delivered a hope-filled message about our shared commitment to Mission District students and families. Our community brought incredible generosity through book donations that will stock our classroom libraries. And we had the chance to connect with school partners, volunteers, donors, and friends who make this work possible every day.
After 50+ years in the Mission, this moment felt significant—not just because of the refreshed space, but because of what it represents: our continued investment in the 16th Street corridor and the families who call this neighborhood home.
✨ Our doors are always open. If you want to stop by and learn more about our work, reach out—we’d love to connect.
Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us. Here’s to the work ahead.
#MissionGraduates #CommunityCommitment #MissionDistrict #EducationEquity #SanFrancisco
🤝 Building Careers, One Connection at a Time
Recently, our College Connect students visited PricewaterhouseCoopers to explore career pathways in accounting and consulting. They toured the office, heard from @pwc_pricewaterhousecoopers professionals, and asked the questions that matter most as they navigate their futures.
The conversation got real. When students asked about overcoming imposter syndrome, panelist Katiusca Sanchez shared: “Having a seat at the table as the only Latina or woman—it’s important to have a support system. Sharing that I felt unqualified helped me hear from others that I wasn’t the only one.”
Xitlali spoke about changing majors: “I was scared of telling my parents, but I realized I couldn’t live my parents’ dreams. I had to do what was best for me.” And Samantha Gonzalez highlighted how PwC’s Latino Inclusion Network helped her build community at work.
Throughout the visit, panelists emphasized seeking internships, getting involved on campus, and building your support system early.
❤️ Thank you to Katiusca Sanchez, Samantha Gonzalez, Xitlali, Gilbert, and Leslie for showing our students what’s possible. This is career readiness—real connections, honest conversations, and pathways forward.
#CollegeConnect #CareerReadiness #MissionGraduates #PwC #FirstGen
Halloween creativity level: 💯
Students across our school sites had fun dressing up today! Swipe to see highlights from TECA and Sanchez Elementary ➡️
Happy Halloween! 🎃✨
#MissionGraduates #HappyHalloween #CommunityLove #TECA #SanchezElementary @escuelasanchez
