F¹rst Graduate

Sixth graders participating in First Graduate's annual Discovery Day.

It’s that time again: Each spring, First Graduate recruits a new crop of 30 sixth-grade students from five partner middle schools. This year we’re selecting our 10th class, which completes the ten-year pipeline of youth we support from middle school through college. What do we look for in future First Graduate students? In addition to being the first in their families—or in the first generation—to commit to graduating from college, new recruits must also show academic promise, the motivation to succeed, critical thinking and communications skills.

To attract new students First Graduate staff visit each of our partner schools (Horace Mann Middle School, James Lick Middle School, KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy, Marina Middle School, and Roosevelt Middle School) to introduce sixth graders to the program. This year, for the first time, staff also offered application workshops. “Most sixth graders have never filled out an application before,” says Anthony (Amph!) Mickens, Senior Program Associate. “At the application workshop, we give students feedback and direction on how to fill-out the application.”

This month dozens of applications came poring in. Once staff has selected the top 40-50 applicants, those lucky students are invited to Discovery Day, which takes place this year on Saturday, March 20. On that day, staff and volunteers interview individual students and lead them in group activities. For example, during one activity, student groups may be asked to pretend they are “Principal of the Day” and make a decision about how to spend school funds, then present their ideas to the larger group. “They are evaluated on how they compromise and how they present,” says Andre Gordenstein, Program Associate, Middle Division.

Prospective students take part in activities that help staff and volunteers evaluate their performance.

After Discovery Day, staff whittle down the list of candidates and invite the 30 selected students and families to the next step: Exploration Day. This event serves as orientation when students learn more details about the program and what is required, such as participation in all program activities and strong grades amounting to a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The recruitment process ends with First Graduate’s rigorous five-week summer program, which includes academic instruction as well as the development of study skills, such as note taking and preparing for tests. “We’re helping them develop techniques that make them good students,” says Gordenstein. First Graduate also recruits students at the high-school level to fill spots that become available.