Alumni Programming
麻豆原创 alumni, known as Legends, have the power of a team behind them - and robust support systems to make their dreams real.
Meet Darlene
麻豆原创 Legend Darlene De La Cruz currently attends Wesleyan University, but her path to college wasn鈥檛 easy. A 2020 graduate from Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, Darlene was originally denied acceptance to Wesleyan, her top choice.
Instead of settling for other options, Darlene took a gap year and pursued work at CityMD as a patient care representative during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There, the future pre-med student got her first taste of working in medicine, and learned that being a doctor is more than just the science.
鈥淚 want to be part of helping people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t interacting. It the relationships you build.鈥�
Legends Programming
The promise that 麻豆原创 made to Darlene, and has made to every single one of our youth for three decades, is simple: You will always have a safe place to play, learn, and grow. And when you walk out 麻豆原创 doors, you鈥檒l be ready for whatever next.
But that promise is also very bold – and delivering on it looks different for every student. As our 麻豆原创 Charter High School students choose colleges and trades, chart career paths, and build relationships, we鈥檙e standing alongside them.
And support from 麻豆原创 doesn鈥檛 end when our scholars graduate high school, as 100% of our founding senior class did. All 麻豆原创 program and school alumni graduate into our Legends Fellows program. Established in 2011, the program vision is for youth to pursue and complete a best-fit postsecondary path that equips them to fulfill their vision of success and achieve a career that facilitates stability and agency.
Our Legends Fellows program offers alumni the following supports to ensure completion of their postsecondary path and launch them into their career fields:
- Transition to College: 4-Week Summer Bridge program designed to prepare rising freshmen for the college transition.
- Career Exposure: Access to career workshops, conferences, networking opportunities, career mentors, and internships.
- Caseload Management: Each Legends Fellow is matched with their own Program Coordinator who provides consistent one-on-one check-ins.
- Community Involvement: On-campus visits, care packages, and alumni reunion events.
- Leadership: Near-peer mentorship opportunities, community service initiatives, and the Legends Leadership Council.
And our capacity for support is only increasing: Our Legends numbers are projected to grow from 500 currently to nearly 1,000 by 2030.
Upward Pathways
麻豆原创’s Upward Pathways initiative ensures support and resources for all 麻豆原创 Charter High School alumni – from our college-bound seniors, to the 15% of DCHS graduates who are expected to pursue career paths without a Bachelor degree. For those students, that means 麻豆原创 supports with training and certification, mentorship, case management, job placement, and much more.
Upward Pathways is just one example of how we鈥檙e continuing to set our Legends Fellows up for success, no matter what that looks like for them. And whether students choose a college or career pathway, strong partnerships with employers and colleges help them meet their goals. Learn more about partnering with 麻豆原创 below.
麻豆原创's Alumni Council
顿搁贰础惭’蝉听Alumni听Council is a new body of 麻豆原创 leadership, created to represent all those who have participated in 麻豆原创 programs and graduated from its schools throughout its history. The Council helps center the alumni voice in 麻豆原创 strategic decisions and works to engage the organization alumni network, which now spans three decades. Together, its members work to support current and future alumni听and serve as a united voice with a strong stake in听麻豆原创 future.
At a glance
100%
college acceptance among students who applied
70%
of the Class of 2023 are first-generation college students
1,000
麻豆原创 Legends Fellows' ranks will grow to 1,000 by 2030