Presidio of San Francisco
PO Box 29415
San Francisco, CA 94129
415-561-3450 Tel
415-561-3454 Fax
www.firstgraduate.org
AT-A-GLANCE
Number of Students Enrolled Program Details
2009-2010 187
Student Demographics
Immigrants or Children of 86%
Female 64%
Male 36%
Latino/a 63%
African-American 10%
Asian/Pacific Islander 20%
Caucasian 1%
Multi-Ethnic 6%
High School GPA (Class of 2010-11)
3.5-4.0 31%
3.0-3.49 38%
2.5-2.99 13%
2.0-2.49 13%
SAT Scores (Class of 2010-11)
1720-2160 10%
1420-1720 33%
1120-1420 57%
first graduate helps young
people finish high school
and become the first in
their families to graduate
from college.
• First Graduate recruits from five dif-
ferent middle schools: Horace Mann,
James Lick, Marina, Roosevelt, KIPP
San Francisco Bay
• We make a 10-year commitment to
each student, starting the summer
after 6th grade through the comple-
tion of college
• A new class of 25 to 30 students
enroll each year
• Founded in 2000, enrolled first class
in 2002; oldest students now in third
year of college
High Schools that Students Attend
Archbishop Riordan High School
Balboa High School
Gateway High School
Leadership High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Lincoln High School
Lowell High School
Mission High School
O’Connell High School
A New Generation of Graduates
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
St. Ignatius High School
The Bay School of San Francisco
The Marin School
University High School
Colleges that Students Attend
Barnard College
Cal Poly Pomona
City College of San Francisco
CSU, East Bay
Hampshire College
Harvard University
Mills College
Notre Dame de Namur University
Saint Mary’s College of California
San Francisco State University
Sonoma State University
Tufts University
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of San Francisco
I can’t tell you how much being a
part of First Graduate has helped
me through my freshman year.
First Graduate was a place I could
fall back on when I was feeling
stressed, a place I could go to
where everybody knows how hard
school is and a place where there
are people you can talk to when
you feel the world is on your
shoulders.
Vicky Wu
college
sophomore
uc irvine
all of my experiences at first
graduate, or related to first
graduate, all culminated in the
achievement of my final goal, to
be the first member in my family to
go to college. thanks to the dif-
ferent people that i met along the
way, i am in college. and although i
worked hard, college would have
not been an option without the
help of first graduate.
brianda castro
college
sophomore
uc riverside
Everyone should have the chance
to succeed, to be proud, and to
do what a family has never done
before. First Graduate took a
chance with wanting to make hope
a reality when they accepted
students to be the first in their
family to graduate from college. I
wanted that. I wanted that for my
family, I wanted that for my cul-
ture, but most of all I wanted that
hope to be a reality for myself.
I took a chance with them, now I
am attending UC Davis and keeping
that hope alive.
guilder ramirez
college junior
uc davis
at-a-glance
What First Graduate Students Achieve
Once admitted into the program, we
expect all students to make the following
commitments:
• Participate in all program activities
• Strive to maintain a 3.0 GPA or
higher
• Apply for and gain admittance into
academically rigorous, “college prep”
high schools.
• Develop strong social and organiza-
tional skills
• Gain admission to and graduate
from a four-year college with a Bach-
elor’s Degree
How They Achieve It
We address students’ needs through a
complementary set of services, including:
1. Case Management: Program Associ-
ates work closely with individual
students and families, as well as
tutors, mentors, teachers, and other
programs, to ensure that students
are successfully completing each
step on the way to becoming college
graduates.
2. Academic Support: Through our
rigorous summer and school-year
academic sessions, each student
participates in over 300 hours of
academic instruction and tutoring
each year.
3. High School Counseling: Our
experienced staff help students and
families move from underperform-
ing middle schools to academically
rigorous “college prep” high schools.
We then work closely with high
school teachers and administrators
to provide the academic and social
support they need to succeed in their
new environments.
Post-Secondary Results HS Class
of 2007
Enrolled in 2 or 4-Year College 100%
Returning for Second Year of 100%
College
Eligible for Cal State Campus 67%
Eligible for UC Campus 42%
Accepted to 4-Year College 83%
A New Generation of Graduates
4. Mentoring: We match all students
with a mentor, a responsible college
graduate with an established career.
Mentors provide insight into college
and potential professional careers.
5. Career Exploration: First Gradu-
ate educates students about the
wide range of career opportunities
available to degree holders. Students
participate in a variety of activities
- including career panels, resume
and networking workshops, and job
shadow days - that expose them to
different careers and help them de-
velop the skills necessary to succeed
in the workforce.
6. College Counseling: We provide
students with a wide range of
college prep resources, including
standardized test preparation, col-
lege application planning, financial
aid workshops for families, access to
summer enrichment programs, and
college visits.
7. Family Engagement: First Graduate
educates whole families, enabling
parents to encourage their children
through the college admission and
financial aid process. We also provide
opportunities for families to visit
colleges and talk to admission staff
in order to better understand college
life and how to support their chil-
dren once they’ve started college.
8. College Support: First Graduate
provides our college students with
a minimum annual scholarship of
$1,000; when possible, we provide
additional funding to bridge gaps in
financial aid. We counsel students
on financial management, career
development, and accessing cam-
pus resources. We support students
through regular contact via email,
phone calls, and on-campus visits.
HS Class HS Class HS Class 4-Year
of 2008 of 2009 of 2010 Totals
100% 100% TBD 100%
100% 100% TBD 100%
91% 94% 88% 85%
72% 40% 43% 49%
91% 75% 71% 80%