STEP Summer Graduation Celebration

STEP College-Prep Program Receives $25,000 Grant from Thunderbirds Charities

Student Expedition Program, a college access and leadership program for Arizona high school students, is pleased to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities. These funds will support STEP’s Phoenix College-Prep Program. STEP equips low-income students with the knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills to successfully transition to college and attain a 4-year degree.

Support from Thunderbirds Charities will help STEP serve over 200 low-income Arizona high-school students in 2020. STEP provides college-prep workshops over the span of each student’s tenure in the program, including workshops with college admissions directors, a module on mental health and mindfulness, a ropes course for team-building and leadership training, intensive ACT test prep, writing workshops, financial aid 101, step by step review of the Common Application, FAFSA and CSS profile assistance with financial aid directors, and mentoring by alumni. Several of these workshops include parents and are also offered in Spanish.

Les Smith, STEP CEO stated, “This grant will be instrumental in helping STEP to further our outreach efforts as well as broaden our ability to provide our young scholars with the tools, training and guidance needed to successfully prepare for, transition to, and succeed in college. We’re proud to say that 100% of STEP’s college-prep program graduates have graduated from high school and gone directly to college and 96% are in college or have obtained a college degree.”

Student Expedition Program (STEP)

This grant is part of the Fall 2019 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.