Current Scholars

Who are our Students?

Breakthrough Scholars are talented, motivated, and determined—but face systemic barriers that limit access to higher education:

• 68% will be first-generation college graduates
• 90% identify as students of color
• 64% qualify for free/reduced lunch
• 32% live with an alternative head of household (single parent, relative, foster)
• 84% speak a language other than English at home

Nationally, nearly 60% of students from high-income families earn a bachelor’s degree by age 24, compared to only 15% from the lowest-income quartile. BTM’s mission is to close these gaps by removing barriers and helping stabilize communities through education. When a first-generation student graduates from college, an entire family’s trajectory changes. A college degree remains one of the strongest predictors of economic mobility: 96% of low-income students who earn a college degree can escape poverty, according to US Census data. 

All (100%) BTM alumni who have completed 6 years of BTM programming pursue higher education, with 98% attending 4-year colleges. Breakthrough alumni persist and graduate from college at higher rates than comparison groups, and beat the national graduation average for all students. There are many stories of Breakthrough students, now college graduates, pursuing their passions in the workforce as engineers, lawyers, doctors, educators, and more.