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"You
inspire me to never give up and to keep striving to reach
my goals and dreams...I will be forever grateful to you
and will never let you down."--Samara, Class of 2003
Growing
up too fast. Samara went straight from school to her job
in a fast-food restaurant where she worked to help her mom
pay the bills. She would sleep on the ride home and stay
up until midnight doing her homework only to get up at 6am
and do it again. Samara was awarded a PEAK scholarship at
the beginning of her sophomore year and graduated with honors from Holy Trinity High School in June 2003.
Samara received a full scholarship to DePaul University where she earned her
bachelor's degree in Business in August of 2007.
Our Program
Since 1997, PEAK has been providing at-risk students with an
alternative to the Chicago Public Schools system (CPS). PEAK
creates access to a quality education by enabling PEAK students
to attend the highly regarded
Holy Trinity High School.
Each PEAK student is paired with a Sponsor who commits to fund
their entire high school tuition. Our Sponsors often also serve
as their student’s Mentor through these four years. Should a
Sponsor be unable to take on this active of a role, PEAK
identifies another adult for the Mentor relationship – the
critical consistent one-on-one guide throughout the high school
years.
PEAK students, Sponsors and Mentors journey together through
high school on the path toward graduation. The high school
diplomas PEAK students earn - once assumed unattainable -
significantly impact and positively alter their lives. The
blend of a dedicated Sponsor/Mentor, a challenging curriculum
and a caring, supportive environment that emphasizes personal
responsibility dramatically improves PEAK students' prospects,
far beyond high school.
PEAK Report Card
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PEAK does not favor academically gifted students. Rather,
the program focuses on serving the unmet needs of
average-to-below-average students.
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PEAK is the only high school scholarship program in Chicago
that pays 100% tuition and focuses on academically average
students. PEAK proudly boats a 90% graduation rate as
compared to the 60% rate of CPS. Furthermore, nearly all
graduates – 90 percent - go on to pursue higher education.
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PEAK strives to foster an environment that empowers these
students to realize both academic and personal success.
By design, PEAK students are nominated by their grade school
principal or after-school program director, ensuring the
kids most likely to be left behind in the public school
system are afforded this opportunity.
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PEAK has touched the lives of more than 150 Chicago
students.
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