Low-Income North San Francisco Bay Area High School Students Take Off for Life-Changing Educational Experiences Through Summer Search Mentoring Program

PETALUMA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 07/12/10 -- Ninety-nine low-income, high potential high school juniors and seniors participating in Summer Search North San Francisco Bay are taking off for intensive summer leadership programs in places ranging from the Alaskan wilderness to Ghana.

"Summer Search students will have life-changing experiences," said Kait Schroeder, executive director of Summer Search North San Francisco Bay in Petaluma. "Theyll discover that they can overcome fears and accomplish more than they thought possible. The summer experiential leadership program isnt a vacation, it opens students eyes to what they can do and become and, as weve seen over the years, is the first step toward achieving their dreams."

Additionally, this spring 44 Summer Search North San Francisco Bay seniors graduated from 15 different high schools and 97% will be attending college in the fall -- most of them the first in their families to do so. And, 11 Summer Search North Bay students now in college returned to the San Francisco Bay Area for paid and/or unpaid internships with companies and organizations such as the ACLU, Napa Valley Family Medical Group, the Office of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, and Osterweis Capital Management.

Transformative summer experiences last from three to six weeks and are possible due to in-kind scholarships from over 30 participating programs, including Outward Bound, National Outdoor Leadership School, SEA Education Association, and AFS.

- 438 students have participated in Summer Search North Bay since its 1998 start and 100% of the seniors have graduated, compared to just 60% of their low-income peers nationally.

- Over 93% of these high school graduates went onto college and over 80% of those graduated, compared to 33% and 11%, respectively, for their low-income peers.

Summer Search provides underprivileged students long-term support, including mentoring with trained staff, summer experiential programs, access to college and financial aid counseling, a peer support network, and professional development. Students are selected for participation during their sophomore year based on financial need and potential. Summer Search also has programs in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco (where it was founded 20 years ago), Seattle, and Silicon Valley. For additional information visit www.summersearch.org

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