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Breakthrough Expands Mental Health Services to Remove Barriers to Affordable Counseling For Students
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“The crux of our work is building relationships with students. We don’t just offer academic support; we give holistic support. We care about our students as people. We know that you can’t just look at the grade book and talk about classes, especially during the pandemic when LIFE has become so hard for so many of us. Often times a student will share that they’re struggling with stress or anxiety or feelings of depression, and it’s on us as advisors to let our students know that we offer free mental health services.”
Libby Goldman, Program Coordinator
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Since the onset of the pandemic, Breakthrough has expanded its mental health partnership program to remove barriers to affordable, high quality counseling for Central Texas students. Through a retainer-based partnership with Vida Clinic and other independent therapists, any Breakthrough student or family member has access to mental healthcare entirely free of charge, curbing some of the disparities of mental healthcare access in our community and supporting student wellbeing.
Libby Goldman, a Breakthrough Program Coordinator who supports these partnerships, took time to share more. Click the button below!
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221 & Counting: More Breakthrough Students Reach Milestone of a Postsecondary Degree
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This month, 15 more Breakthrough students joined our growing community of Breakthrough College Graduates who have become the first in their families to earn a postsecondary degree. Check them out below!
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Yesenia Aviles, Texas A&M University College Station, Sociology
Nayeli Barcenas Perez, Austin Community College, Associate in Pastry & Baking Management
Demetria Brown, Huston-Tillotson University, Biology
Sophia Cruz, University of Texas at Austin, Business
Vincent De Paz, Texas State University, History
Robert Evans, University of Texas at San Antonio, Psychology
Seth Granados, Austin Community College, Certificate in Semiconductors
Andrea Grimaldo, Texas State University, Exercise & Sports Science
Kaomi Matos, St. Edward’s University, Social Work
Ymani McIntosh, Howard University, Political Science
Stacy Navarro, Austin Dental Assistant Academy
Gustavo Salinas, Texas State University, Construction Science & Management
Lizbeth Morales Salazar, The College of Health Care Professions, Radiology Certification
Matteo Sarmiento, University of Texas at Dallas, Electrical Engineering
Ajanae Spence, Texas State University, Political Science
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Breakthrough Announces the Breakthrough Internship Network (BIN), Formerly Future Focus
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We are excited to re-introduce our internship program to you, under a new name, as The Breakthrough Internship Network (formerly known as Future Focus). The Breakthrough Internship Network is an Austin based internship placement program that connects a diverse pipeline of well-trained and highly motivated college students to hiring managers and organizations. As Austin’s premiere internship placement program for first-generation college students, the program has placed more than 500 interns at 100+ organizations in the Austin area, including Accenture, Aceable, Holtzman, Horizon Bank, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and University Federal Credit Union. This coming summer, Breakthrough hopes to place nearly 100 interns at organizations around town, with a goal to triple the number of internship placements over the next three years. Learn more about the program here.
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HOST AN INTERN
The Breakthrough Internship Network is proud to partner with our business community to ensure that all students, regardless of neighborhood, family economic status or ethnicity, have the tools and support they need to participate in Austin’s professional workforce. Together, we can build a robust talent pipeline that represents the rich diversity of our city and our state.
Are you interested in hosting an internship for a Breakthrough student this summer? For more information, contact Kate Garrett at kate@breakthroughctx.org.
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A Look At the High School Class of 2022
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Thanks to your support, our Breakthrough community has continued to empower these students as they have overcome countless obstacles on their educational journey. Our upcoming graduating class of 2022 has navigated a pandemic, political and social strife, remote learning -- all in an effort to realize their educational dreams. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that highlight their hard work and your impact on our mission:
- 303 seniors make up our senior class of 2022
- 203 seniors are part of our 12-year program in Austin and Manor
- 100 seniors are part of our PSAP program at Manor Tech High School
- 200+ college applications have already been submitted, with another 600+ in progress!
- 50% of all seniors have competed their FAFSA/TASFA
- 109 seniors have already been accepted into a higher education program of some kind
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Introducing Breakthrough's Newest Initiative to Further Support Students With Academic & Athletic Goals (SWAAG)
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In addition to twelve years of comprehensive academic support, Breakthrough has also developed specialized advising and robust resources to support our student athletes. We recognize the importance of supporting student athletes and the direct relationship athletic success has with academic success. Check out the video featuring Dorothy Vasquez, SWAAG Committee member and Breakthrough's Associate Director of High School Programs, to learn more about the goals of SWAAG.
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This holiday season, help keep college dreams in reach.
The pandemic deepened existing disparities and created daunting new barriers for students in our community, including Breakthrough students, on the path to college. Your donation can be the difference for a student pursuing their college dream. Give today and your donation will be DOUBLED thanks to the generosity of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
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| Breakthrough is proud to be an AmeriCorps program.
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