ANNUAL

REPORT

2015-2016

Ten years in the books. Over 150 students currently participating in our program. More than 300 students served over ten years. Alumni attending colleges throughout the country. And before we know it, we will have college graduates returning to impact our community in incredible ways. Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano is changing lives, and I feel blessed to be part of this movement. As you read ahead, you will meet Breakthrough alumna Lidia, who currently attends St. Olaf College in Minnesota and returned this summer to influence our youngest Breakthrough students. You will learn about our College Mentor Program, where community members have volunteered countless hours to guide our high school seniors through the college application process. And you will get to know our students—why they commit to this rigorous program, what drives them, and who they hope to be one day. I am energized by the future. I picture the day when our Breakthrough students—college degrees in hand—contribute as engaged citizens in the community, end the cycle of poverty in their families, and inspire future generations to follow in their footsteps. Thank you for supporting our students and mission,

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

To increase academic opportunity for highly motivated, underserved students and put them on the trajectory of a successful college path; and,

OUR MISSION

Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano has a unique dual mission:

To inspire and develop the next generation of teachers and educational leaders.

10 300 OUR IMPACT

186 complete years serving students

students served since 2006 Over

teaching fellows served since 2006

94%

63%

of the class of 2016 (pictured above)

is headed to college

91%

89%

94%

84%

low income

primary

language at

home is not

English

students of

color

18,270

OUR STUDENTS

first generation

college students

1,500 6 hours of professional development for teaching fellows (pictured above)

hours of joy and learning for 90 students

at our 2016 summer program

Breakthrough alumni serving as teaching fellows

is going directly to a four-year university,

and all of these students will go with

less than $25,000 in

federal loan debt over four years.

100% retention rate during the

2015-2016 school year

330 hours by community members

paired with 8 high school seniors

in our College Mentor Program

Lidia Lopez completed Breakthrough and

graduated high school in 2015. Now a

sophomore at St. Olaf College, her

involvement as a teaching fellow in 2014

and 2016 has shaped her future: “After

having gone through my second summer as

a teaching fellow, I hope to become a

middle school math teacher and plan to

continue working with underserved minority

youth.” Her experience as a Breakthrough

student enabled her to have an impact on

students who share similarities to her own

journey. Lidia embodies Breakthrough’s

ultimate goal of supporting students who

will graduate college and return to

become leaders in the community.

SU

MM

ER

PR

OG

RA

M in

ten

sive

, six-w

ee

k, a

ca

de

mic

sum

me

r pro

gra

m h

oste

d a

t St. M

arg

are

t’s Ep

isco

pa

l Sc

ho

ol

This summer at

Breakthrough

allowed me to find my

voice and gain many

leadership skills. I was

elected as student

president of Breakthrough

and contributed my ideas

into activities.

–Wendy Mendez, Grade 9 at San

Juan Hills HS

A first-generation college student,

Breakthrough alumna, and teaching

fellow who has inspired countless

students.

Our students take the nationally-normed Renaissance STAR math and reading

assessment before and after the summer. Based on data analysis provided by Breakthrough

Collaborative, of which Breakthrough SJC is an affiliate, on average all grades

showed significant growth in math and reading over the course of

the six-week summer program.

TEA

CH

ING

FELLO

WSH

IP in

ten

sive

, 8-w

ee

k, su

mm

er p

re-p

rofe

ssion

al te

ac

hin

g re

side

nc

y

“Deciding to join the

Breakthrough team was the best

decision I have made this year.”

Luis Gonzalez, a sophomore at Georgetown

University, keenly understands the journey many

Breakthrough students experience. From modest

beginnings in Santa Ana, CA, he overcame countless

obstacles to become the first in his family to attend

college. This summer he taught 8th grade English and

inspired students with his engaging lessons. He strived

to provide students with a space to find their voice.

Indeed, our FIND YOUR VOICE theme hit home for

Luis: “I found my voice this summer and will do

everything possible to continue this throughout the

rest of my life. “ With a deep passion and resolve for

working with underserved communities, Luis hopes to

teach someday, noting, “Every single day at

Breakthrough, as I stood by the door welcoming

each of my students with a handshake, I realized

how much I actually yearned to become a teacher.”

20 teaching fellows

70% females

30% males

70% receive financial aid

25% returning teachers

30% Breakthrough SJC alumni

Attend colleges throughout the

nation, including:

95% of teaching fellows rated their overall

experience as excellent.

100% of teaching fellows would

recommend Breakthrough to a friend

interested in education.

Breakthrough has increased my

desire to become a teacher. I

have finally seen the real effect

that teachers can have, and I want

to see more of that in the

future.

-Carter LaCrosse,

2016 Teaching Fellow,

junior at Northwestern University

MID

DLE

SC

HO

OL P

RO

GR

AM

sch

oo

l-ye

ar a

ftersc

ho

ol tu

torin

g a

nd

ac

ad

em

ic g

uid

an

ce

pro

gra

m

Salvador Amezcua, an 8th grade

student from Marco Forster Middle

School, has seen Breakthrough’s posi-

tive influence on his academics,

affirming, “Last year in 7th grade I was

able to get straight As with minimal

stress about my grades because

Breakthrough has prepared me to do

DBQs in history, labs in science, and a

lot more equations in math.” As a future

first-generation college student, he

hopes his involvement in Breakthrough,

AVID, and Road Runner Ambassadors

at Marco Forster will support him to

become a “robotics engineer and to

hopefully graduate with a masters

degree.”

50 total applications

Accepted:

29 7th graders

3 8th graders

2 9th graders

3.75 average GPA of ad-mitted 7th graders

Breakthrough has made me a better person all around. It taught

me what it means to be a good teacher and role model.

–Delaney Bien, JSerra student and Breakthrough tutor

92% of students earned at least a 3.5 GPA

68% of students earned only As & Bs

90% student attendance

44 hours of tutoring

58 high school tutors

New

Students

50 total

applications

Accepted

29 7th graders

3 8th graders

2 9th graders

3.75 average

GPA of

admitted 7th

graders

For highly motivated, underserved students

a summer full of classes is seen as a way to

work towards realizing their dreams.

HIG

H S

CH

OO

L PR

OG

RA

M in

div

idu

alize

d c

olle

ge

co

un

selin

g, m

en

tor p

rog

ram

, an

d a

ca

de

mic

sup

po

rt

Applying to college can be a daunting

and complex process, especially for a

student whose parents never went to

college.

Laura Tellez, a Breakthrough student since

7th grade, realized the importance of having

a strong support system to get to college.

Now a freshman at the University of

California, Santa Cruz, she reflects that

“without Breakthrough I would not be the

person I am today as well as at the university

I am attending. Although I always knew I

wanted to go to college, it was a vague

goal I set without really knowing what it truly

entailed. I never realized how much work

really went into it.” Not only has Laura seen

the impact of Breakthrugh’s counseling, her

involvement over the course of six years has

impacted her as a person and role model:

“Through the six years I have been a part of

the program I have seen myself become a

more well-rounded person and someone

that my brothers can look up to.” She hopes

to someday become a physician and return

to the community to practice medicine.

Becoming a mentor for this program has shown me that with some

knowledge about the complicated college counseling process

and a willingness to help, the mentors can positively impact the

futures of these incredible students.

–Gretchen Scott, Breakthrough mentor & Community Advisor

77% of students earned at least a 3.0 GPA

82% of students passed all A-G classes

112 hours of tutoring

Class of 2016 received over 50

college acceptances, including:

8 mentors serving 8 seniors

100% of mentees applied to

4-year universities

Through our College Mentoring

Program, community members

supported students with:

Creating college lists

Writing college essays

Submitting applications

Applying to fly out programs

Applying to scholarships

Pitzer College, Chapman University, USC,

Loyola Marymount University, Whittier College,

BYU, UC Riverside, and on...

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

We enjoy a deep and positive relationship with our community. Highlights from 2015-2016 include:

Swallows Day Parade (pictured above)

College visits, such as CSU San Marcos and UCI

SJC City Council presentation

Fundraisers, i.e. McDonald’s and Ricardo’s Place

Capistrano Unified School District presentation

San Juan Summer Nites

The Ocean Institute (pictured below)

Heartstrings, Pacific Symphony (pictured above)

SJC Chamber of Commerce Board presentation

Tree Lighting Ceremony

St. Margaret’s service: BT alumni care packages

San Juan Capistrano Rotary Club presentation

I Heart OC Giving Day, OC Community Foundation

The Capistrano Dispatch article (pictured below)

FINANCIAL REPORT

Financial sustainability is a priority at Breakthrough SJC. St. Margaret’s Episcopal School has generously hosted us for the past ten years and donated funds for salaries and overhead. Meanwhile, all program funds come from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors who have made the commitment to our mission, our program, and our students. Every dollar donated goes directly to Breakthrough students! Our reserve funds at the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2016) were $364,941, or approximately 23 months of operations.

Teaching Fellows

2015-2016 SUPPORTERS AND VOLUNTEERS!

Management Team

David Bush

Anne Dahlem

Lara Farhadi

Jeneen Graham

Jonathan Tufo

Duraid & Candy Antone

Jim & Peg Berens

Ira & Anita Hermann

Jim & Karen Murphy

Mark & Rita O’Hare

Antigone Blackwell

Claire Frahm

Laura Freese

Gila Jones

Will Moseley

Karen Murphy

Stacey Nicholas

Elizabeth Novick

Jim Reardon

Gretchen Scott

Sarah Arce

Ashley Bahena

Maria Cruz

Benjamin Moreno

Aide Najera

David Santana

Nallely Aceves

Ashley Atilano

Maribel Castanon

Arely Chavez

Symantha Clough

Luis Gonzalez

Emily Haymond

Karekin Johnson

Carter LaCrosse

James Leon

Lidia Lopez

Enrique Loya

David Mena

Dulce Morales

Elizabeth Morrison

Divya Prajapati

Coral Ramos

Caroline Ririe

Vanessa Rodriguez

Crystal Shin

Kevin Estipular

Emily King

Diana Schwab

Jillian West

Cowan Family

Cruse Family

Frahm Family

Gapinsky Family

Logemann Family

Medrano Family

Murphy Family

Scott Family

Shams Family

Solt Family

Teri Allen

Arianna Barrios

Kenny Chen

Richard Gutierrez

Andrew Jaramillo

Andrew Moe

Marilyn Bauer

Dan Frahm

Suzanne Reynolds

Ada Rudolph

Glen Rudolph

Gretchen Scott

Greg Silver

Nancy Silver

Rocio Alarcon

Luis Almanza

Maribel Castanon

Mariel Diaz

Maritza Garcia

Brandon Hernandez

Francelia Lievanos

Angelo Macedo

Angel Menchaca

Edrian Ochoa

Coral Ramos

Vanessa Rodriguez

Pedro Sanchez

Roberto Santana

Laura Tellez

Javier Villegas

Graduating Class of 2016

High School Program Mentors

Junior Teachers

Instructional Coaches

Homestay Families

Career Day Presenters

Breakthrough Angels

Community Advisors

Aaron Aguilar

Alan Abrego

Alexandra Giammanco

Alexis Ortiz

Alexis CQ

Alondra Ajoleza

Amy Fabian

Amy He

Amy Medrano

Andrea Taylor

Angel Menchaca

Anika Grover

Anna Joslen

Annie Hatton

April Schultz

Ariana Vargas

Ashley Balderas

Ashley Nicole Bahena

Bertha Olmedo

Brandon Fernandez

Brian Urrutia

Brianna Macias

Brianna Urrutia

Britany Gomez

Bryant Villamil

Cameron Manor

Carly Peck

Carolyn Kellner

Christian (CJ) Jacobs

Christian Sieck

Citlali Perez

Cole Marin

Coral Ramos

Daisy Velasco

Daniela Luna

David Ramirez

David Santana

Delaney Bien

Dhruv Singhal

Dylan Conway

Edrian Ochoa

Elizabeth Murray

Elizabeth Ponce

Elliot Boesch

Evan Terry

Francisco Jaime

Giselle Lagunas

Grant Kinsey

Grecia Flores

Grisham Peck

Hannah Getz

Harlene Virk

Harrison Tanaka

Ivan Santana

Jacob Martinez

Jaden Cloobeck

Jaime Del Rio

Jana Phillips

Jaqueline Rodriguez-Taoia

Jassmin Del Rio

Jesse Jimenez

Jessica Guerinot

Jonathan Ruiz

Josue Santana

Juan Manzo

Julia Kramer

Juliet Ballard

Junior Mazariegos

Katelyn Elkins

Katie Iwami

Katie Stephens

Keilani Snyder

Kimberly Garcia

Kimberly Ramos

Lauren Clements

Litzy Calzado

Logan Tomaselli

Lucy Kamgar

Madeline Oblea

Maggie Perez

Mari DeStefani

Maria Cruz

Maribel Castanon

Marissa Mitchell

Mary Collier

Mason Harline

Matthew Alinsod

Melina Lopez

Michael Gomez

Michelle Camacho

Monika Robles

Nancy Mendez

Natalie Garcia

Natalie McAleer

Natalie Yee

Nick Scully

Pedro Sanchez

Peter Soto

Quinn Jacobs

Reese Thomas

Richard Zamarripa

Rocio Alarcon

Romina Sahafi

Ryan Marin

Samantha Cruz

Samantha Jimenez

Sarah Champ

Sofia Lopez

Suzanne Cardenas

Tatiana Flores

Taylor Villahermosa

Veronica Guerinot

Zulma Dias

Student Volunteers: school-year tutors and summer student leaders

THANK YOU TO OUR 2015-2016 SUPPORTERS!

Diosa Adams

Julie and Harold Allen

Sofia Vasquez and Jose Almanza

Anonymous

Candy and Duraid Antone

Diana Barriga

Steve Behmerwohld

Jean Billyou

Antigone Blackwell

Amanda and Troy Bourne

Bryan Boyce

Linda and David Bush

Mary Ann and Mark Campaigne

Raquel and Norm Christensen

Ruth Clark

Diane and Jim Connelly

Cherise and Victor Cota

Anna Crivici

Anne and Ryan Dahlem

Gina and Philip deCarion

Lara and Jim Farhadi

Claire and Dan Frahm

Laura Freese

Ed Hand

Yvonne and Christopher Hays

Pat and Marc Hurlbut

Kelly and Jay Jacobs

Shannon Jacquez

Jessica Jaramillo

Robert Johnson

Elizabeth and Don Johnson

Betty and David Jones

Lorena Martinez

Kesley McKeag

Christy and Donaldson Miele

Ginger Modiri

Angela and Andrew Moore

Aysun and Sager Moritzky

Karen and Jim Murphy

Silvia Vargas and Fausto Najera

Elizabeth and Lee Novick

Leslie Jewett and Patrick Paddon

Jennifer Perez

Roberto Santana-Sotelo

Gretchen and Matt Scott

Cindy and Mike Smith

Julie and Philip Vandermost

Yolanda Vargas

Olivia Velazquez

Frank Wyer

THANK YOU TO OUR 2015-2016 SUPPORTERS!

Adventure City

AmeriCorps VISTA

Bad to the Bone

Ballpark Pizza

Breakthrough Collaborative

Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley

California First National Bank

Capistrano Unified School District

Comprehensive College Prep

CR & R Incorporated

Croul Family Foundation

Fluor Corporation

Heartstrings - Pacific Symphony

Laser Quest

McDonald's San Juan Capistrano

Nicholas Endowment

Ocean Institute

Printing OC

Ricardo's Place

Rimrock Capital Management, LLC

Samueli Foundation

Smart Software Solutions, Inc.

St. Joseph's Health System Foundation

St. Margaret's Episcopal School

UCI Summer Scholars Program

UCI FABCamp

UCI School of Social Ecology

Weingart Foundation

ON THE HORIZON

We are excited about the 2016-2017 school year! Stay connected to learn about:

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

The largest group of students in Breakthrough SJC’s history! We will serve over 150 students throughout the community, and every single one is on the way to college.

Strategic planning as we evaluate our program and examine how we can increase our impact moving into the future.

Model United Nations students who are developing curriculum to teach Breakthrough students about communication, public speaking, and debate skills.

Breakthrough SJC’s partnership with Global GLOW, a program focused on mentor relationships with our young girls so they can develop self-esteem, leadership, and resilience.

Donate. Every dollar donated goes directly to the students of Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano. Follow us. We are on Facebook (Breakthrough SJC) and Instagram (@btjsanjuan). Mentor. Guide a Breakthrough high school senior through the college application process. Visit. You can learn more at www.breakthroughsjc.org.

Contact Information: Victor Cota, Director

victor.cota@smes.org 949-661-0108 ext. 1342