Welcome PEAK Class of 2023! A Lifelong Mentoring Journey Begins on Match Night

After a week-long PEAK orientation in August, the PEAK Class of 2023 made the first few weeks of school look like a breeze. Multiple scholars maintained perfect GPAs — notable for scholars who had all left middle school in the spring fitting PEAK's usual average or below-average profile.

Freshman scholar Jovan works on a letter to his future mentor during orientation

Orientation week, led by longtime PEAK volunteer Vince Guider along with Program Manager Anthony Bolden, included work on goal-setting, thoughtful letters to their future PEAK mentors, meaningful dialogue and teambuilding, and an engaging and inspiring visit to Northwestern University.

Thanks to the supportive community and academic rigor offered at Holy Trinity High School, many freshmen PEAK scholars have already shifted their trajectory and are significantly outperforming their previous academic records. With the help of their mentors and PEAK Academic Advisor Amilcar Morales, these scholars are sure to soar to new heights.

Match Night, PEAK’s unique September tradition, begins what are sure to be enduring, transformative mentoring relationships. Gathered together at Holy Trinity for the first time, this year’s new mentors and freshman scholars with their families waited with bated breath for the announcement of who they would be paired with. Mentors with unavoidable work or personal conflicts were there in spirit through touching video messages, which were much appreciated by the scholars and their families. As the pairs got to know each other, scholars, mentors, and parents all committed to doing their part to ensure the PEAK scholars’ success in high school.

PEAK scholar Ricardo (center) with his mother and new PEAK mentor, JT O'Connor, on Match Night

The workplaces of this year’s mentors range from museums to forensic consulting firms. Each scholar/mentor pair was thoughtfully matched by the PEAK team to create strong relationships and maximize learning and growth opportunities for both scholar and mentor. We know from 20 years of experience that the impact of these relationships will last long beyond the scholars’ graduation in 2023. When their own clear potential and work ethic combine with the support of committed and caring mentors and the nurturing and academically challenging environment of Holy Trinity, these newest PEAK scholars will achieve great things.