REACH Prep

09/01/2026

This summer, Keisha from Cohort 26, a rising senior at Trevor Day School, and Sydni from Cohort 25, a rising senior at Greens Farms Academy, had a unique summer opportunity at The Island School in the Bahamas.

Keisha shared, "The Island School teaches about sustainability, marine ecology, and community and culture. It also teaches students to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. My days were full of adventure, such as jumping off High Rock (an 18-foot cliff), dissecting lionfish for marine ecology, scuba diving, working with the shark and conch teams, camping and completing a solo for the community and culture class, assisting with aquaponics for the sustainability class, and training for a five-mile run-swim, just to name a few things. I was pushed in more ways than I ever could have imagined, but I wouldn't have had it any other way!"

Sydni also shared her highlights, "The Island School gave me the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom through hands-on experiences connected to sustainability, sense of place, and intentional community. Through courses that explored marine science, sustainability, and Bahamian culture, I got to scuba dive to study coral reefs, camp while learning about Bahamian history, and experience a new way of learning. This experience challenged me to grow both academically and personally, and I’m grateful for everything I learned along the way."

We are thrilled that Keisha and Sydni had the opportunity to spend their summer in such an enriching environment!

08/24/2026

Jesse from Cohort 26 is a rising senior at Ethical Culture Fieldston School who attended the Marist Pre-College summer program.

He shared, “In my course, I learned the basics of personal money management and some golden rules to always follow when making large financial decisions. In the professional section, I learned about corporation classifications, financial statements and their meanings about the company’s stability of their cash flow. I found the class to be extremely informative and interactive as we got to play multiple simulators, one being of the stock market and another being one of adulthood where we had to make our own financial decisions and live with the consequences.”

We're thrilled that Jesse had this educational summer opportunity!

08/18/2026

Sebastian from Cohort 26 is a rising high school senior at Hackley School who took part in Yale Young Global Scholars this summer.

He shared, "I was on the Innovations in Science & Technology track. I had the opportunity to attend in-depth lectures given by leading Yale faculty, and learn about specific topics throughout my numerous seminars and group capstone project. I also had an unforgettable experience connecting globally with others and enjoying time with friends exploring what Yale and New Haven had to offer."

We're so glad Sebastian had this transformative summer opportunity!

08/14/2026

REACH Prep Scholars have been busy at their summer opportunities. Sophia from Cohort 26, a rising senior at Hopkins School, attended a Brown Pre-College Program.

Sophia shared, "I had an amazing experience with my summer opportunity; I really enjoyed the freedom and knowledge of being on a college campus. It gave me an idea of what college will look like, and the Summer in Cinema class I took taught me what managing schoolwork and social life entails. I made a lot of incredible friendships, learned how to analyze film, and I'm very excited for college next year!"

Her 'Summer in Cinema' was a college-level film studies course examining cinema through the theme of summer, with a focus on film history, theory, and close visual analysis. Students studied major cinematic movements, including the French New Wave, Italian Neorealism, and Militant Third World Cinema, while exploring questions of gender, sexuality, race, class, and identity. It helped students develop technical and theoretical skills in analyzing cinematography, narrative, spectatorship, and cinematic time through written and class-based film analysis.

We're thrilled that Sophia had this meaningful experience during her summer break!

08/11/2026

We are proud to share an update from Valentina C. from Cohort 21 who is a recent University of Chicago graduate.

Valentina said, "Senior year at UChicago was incredibly rigorous, but through the support and mentorship of Maribel (REACH Prep's Director of College Success) along with my professors, friends, and family, I was able to complete my honors thesis and graduate with degrees in Political Science and Human Rights."

This fall, Valentina will be pursuing a Master's in Education at Trinity College Dublin, where she will continue her undergraduate research on adult literacy and civic participation.

We're excited for Valentina and look forward to hearing about her time at Trinity College Dublin!

07/30/2026

In June, we hosted our annual Senior Dinner to honor the high school graduates of the class of 2026.

The Director of College Guidance congratulated the students on their accomplishments and let them know that in addition to graduating from high school, they graduated into the next phase of REACH Prep's 12-year continuum and will continue to receive individualized support, now from the Director of College Success.

We were thrilled to celebrate the hard work of these students with their families and peers and look forward to supporting them through their college journeys.

07/28/2026

We were excited to offer a free, beginner-friendly computer class for REACH Prep parents earlier this summer.

Participants built their computer confidence throughout the five sessions by brushing up on email & digital communication skills, file and folder management, Microsoft basics, troubleshooting common issues, and more.

Thank you to First Presbyterian Church of Stamford for the grant that supported this important program!

07/24/2026

Every journey begins with a single opportunity. Join us for The World Within REACH: A Trip to The Tuileries Garden event on Saturday, October 17th at Round Hill Club.

This unforgettable evening of Parisian delights will provide critical support for our program and create the opportunities that make every scholars' journey possible.

Led by Co-Chairs Elizabeth Bing, Mo Sakurai, and Magali Swanson, and a dedicated committee, we look forward to hosting you for a memorable and impactful evening!

Click the link for ticket & sponsorship information: https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/e8d9523f-e761-42e4-a932-0a2494eb19a5/events/vevt:bdd53bb1-83ee-45b5-9868-d66203a49dc3/home/story

07/23/2026

We hosted a 'Building Your Professional Brand on LinkedIn' workshop for our college students earlier this month.

This was designed to help scholars prepare for their next step by giving them practical LinkedIn updates, language they can use to describe their experiences, and tools to start networking with more clarity and purpose. We focused not just on creating a profile, but on helping students recognize the value of their experiences and communicating who they are with confidence.

The workshop was led by Imani Sherrill, a REACH Prep alum from Cohort 13 and Management Consultant at Accenture Federal Services. Imani graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics and earned her Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

We're grateful for Imani's support running this workshop, and look forward to seeing how successful these students will be as they plan for their careers.

07/20/2026

We're still collecting nominations for our Alumni Achievement Award. Anyone can nominate a REACH Prep alum for this award. We are looking for someone who strives for professional excellence, embodies our mission, and is active within their community.

Please complete this brief form to submit your nomination!

The REACH Prep Alumni Achievement Award celebrates a REACH Prep graduate who embodies the mission of educational equity and access. This person is a leader in their community who empowers others.