ABOUT US

Because a College Education Changes Everything

The facts are clear: college determines career paths and life skills. But not everyone shares the same opportunity.

Only 10% of youth from low-income families hold a bachelor’s degree by age 25, compared to 77% of middle to higher income youth. Students Rising Above (SRA) is determined to change the odds. We understand the rewards and obstacles students face in defying expectations, and how their success can lift up entire communities. Since 1998, we’ve helped craft, nurture, and navigate college experiences that lead to meaningful careers. We value character over GPA, take pride in personal commitment, and measure success with proven results.

Enlisting comprehensive support, personal relationships, and career guidance, we’ve become the most successful college completion program in the nation. Join us as we redefine what’s possible for the next generation.

MISSION & VALUES

Our Mission

SRA empowers students facing systemic barriers to define and find success through education, career, and in life.

 

Vision

SRA envisions a world in which every person can achieve economic and social equity.

Our Values

Openness

More than just accepting others where they are and how they come, openness describes our pioneering spirit that guides us in exploring new possibilities and opportunities with intentionality and care. In order to accomplish our mission, we are open to innovation, open to unique student-perspectives and open to continuing to evolve and identify ways to serve more students and partner organizations.

Collaboration

We are stronger and have a deeper impact through collaboration - with our students, co-workers, supporters, and partners. Greater success is achieved through authentic communication, strong and strategic partnerships, and a familial spirit.

Inclusivity

Differences are vital assets that strengthen our communities. Inclusivity informs our strategy when creating programming for our students, hiring staff and engaging partners from across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Our work supports the creation of a more diverse and inclusive society.

Commitment

We accept the responsibility of changing the future through the cultivation of extraordinary youth. We are passionate about equity and justice and have an unwavering belief in the potential of our students. Our sense of responsibility translates to a team deeply committed to accomplishing our mission.

Growth

With the courage and resourcefulness needed to challenge the status quo, we strive to be a catalyst for long-term social change. We value the growth of our students, staff and organization as we continue to grow professionally and in our capacity to serve our future leaders.

“I am really impressed with the helpfulness and quality of the content [on the SRA Hub], and would love to participate in more lectures/other SRA resources for my own growth...Thank you so much!!”

College Student

OUR TEAM

Interested in joining us on our mission? Join Our Team

Board of Directors

  • Carlyn Clause
  • Queen Denchukwu
  • Diana Campoamor
  • Phoenicia Fitts
  • Frank Troutman
  • Matt Houston
  • Anastasia Novozhilova
  • Stephen T Parlett
  • Nathan Porras
  • Carolyn Reiser
  • Julius Robinson
  • Dipti Sirisinahal
  • Veronica Toscano

Alumni Association Leadership Committee

OUR SUPPORTERS

Students Rising Above gratefully acknowledges the contributions and expertise of the community partners who share our mission and help us achieve our goals.

  • J.W. Bagley Foundation
  • Barulich Family Foundation
  • S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation
  • College Futures Foundation of California
  • Comis Foundation
  • Enersen Foundation
  • Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation
  • Hilltop Group Charitable Foundation
  • Koret Foundation
  • Stanley Langendorf Foundation
  • Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation
  • Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation
  • Joseph R. McMicking Foundation
  • McMurtry Family Foundation
  • Robert H. and Helen P. Odell Fund
  • Joseph Pedott Perpetual Endowment Trust
  • Rock Foundation
  • Silicon Valley Community Foundation
  • Sippel-Farb Family Foundation
  • Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation
  • May and Stanley Smith Charitable Foundation
  • Solid Rock Foundation
  • Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation
  • The Filippi Foundation
  • The Fremont Group Foundation
  • The Julia Burke Foundation
  • The Kimball Foundation
  • The O'Shea Foundation
  • The Soulé Foundation
  • The William Randolph Hearst Foundation
  • Wayne & Gladys Valley Foundation
  • 826 Valencia
  • Aim High
  • Alameda County Social Services Agency
  • ALearn
  • AppsFlyer
  • Anthem Blue Cross Foundation
  • Aquarium of the Bay
  • Arborwell
  • Atlassian
  • Autodesk, Inc.
  • Axiom
  • Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI)
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
  • Breakthrough Collaborative
  • Breathe California of the Bay Area
  • Brutocao Vineyards & Cellars
  • Buddy System
  • Burns & Wilcox
  • California Public Utilities Commission
  • CBS 5 - KPIX
  • CBS Interactive, Inc.
  • Charles River Associates
  • Charles Schwab & Co.
  • Chevron
  • Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute
  • Cisco Systems, Inc.
  • Civil Liberties and Public Policy
  • CollegeSpring
  • Columbia University Internship in Building Community
  • Cultural Vistas
  • Cupertino Electric, Inc.
  • Current Marketing
  • Dodge & Cox Investment Managers
  • DonorsChoose.org
  • Dr. Halpern-Felsher's Lab at Stanford University,
  •      Department of Pediatrics,
  •      Division of Adolescent Medicine
  • East Bay Regional Park District
  • Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC)
  • Elevate Tutoring
  • Ernst & Young LLP
  • Errigal, Inc.
  • Facebook, Inc.
  • Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
  • FireEye, Inc.
  • Franklin Templeton
  • Fresh Approach
  • Future Public Health Leaders Program
  • Galileo Learning, LLC
  • Genentech, Inc.
  • Glide
  • Google, LLC
  • Hack the Hood
  • Hafner Vineyard
  • Health Career Connection
  • HDR
  • Hidden Villa
  • Human Impact Partners
  • Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
  • JCYC College Access Programs
  • Justice Now
  • Kaiser Permanente Community Benefits,
  •      Northern California Region
  • Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
  • Legal Aid of Sonoma County
  • LifeMoves
  • Lyric Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Marcus Foster Education Institute
  • Maven Recruiting Group
  • Mentoring in Medicine & Science
  • Mesosphere, Inc.
  • Minami Tamaki, LLP
  • Mission Bit
  • Monument Crisis Center
  • Motive Power, Inc.
  • National Charity League
  • NERA Economic Consulting, Inc.
  • O2 Marketing + Design
  • Oakland Unite
  • Occupational Health Internship Program
  • Okta, Inc.
  • OpenText Corp.
  • Oracle
  • Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP
  • Pacific Gas & Electric
  • Port of Oakland
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
  • Project Avary
  • Project Pull
  • RythmOne
  • Rising Sun Energy Center
  • Rodan + Fields
  • Rombauer Vineyards
  • Running Start
  • SAP Labs, Inc.
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
  • San Francisco District Attorney’s Office
  • San Francisco International Airport
  • San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
  • San Jose Downtown Association
  • San Mateo County Transit District
  • Sand Hill Global Advisors, LLP
  • Santa Clara Valley Water District
  • Scarborough Insurance Agency
  • Sharks Foundation
  • Sherpa Digital Media, Inc.
  • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
  • Southwest Airlines
  • St. Paul’s Episcopal School
  • Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research
  •      Program (SIMR)
  • Steve & Kate’s Camp
  • Subaru of America Foundation, Inc.
  • Summer Health Professions Education Program
  • Target Corporation
  • Tesla
  • The Fresh Air Fund
  • The Greenlining Institute
  • The Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society
  • The Partners Program
  • The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
  • Transwestern
  • Union Bank
  • United Way
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • USA Marketing
  • Vali Cooper & Associates, Inc.
  • VISA, Inc.
  • Wagner Family of Wines
  • Warriors Community Foundation
  • Wells Fargo
  • Western Digital
  • Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
  • Yahoo! Employee Foundation
  • YMCA Camp Jones Gulch
  • Arborwell Named Scholarship
  • Atlassian Named Scholarship
  • Bassett Furniture Bay Area Named Scholarship
  • Comis Named Scholarship
  • D.E. Allen & R.O. Segura Named Scholarship
  • East Bay Insurance Agents Charitable Fund Named
  •      Scholarship
  • Len and Marty Brutocao Named Scholarship
  • The Julia Burke Named Scholarship
  • Lex Brainerd and Carlyn Clause Named Scholarship
  • Wallace DeYoung Named Scholarship
  • Duemey Family Named Scholarship
  • Nick Gandhi Academic Excellence Named Scholarship
  • The Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation
  • The Joseph Gomes and Sharon Brown Named
  •      Scholarship
  • John and Gwenda Hanson Named Scholarship
  • Jack and Jill of America - Contra Costa County Named
  •      Scholarship
  • Jean and Alan Kay Named Scholarship
  • Haldane King Named Scholarship
  • Roberta Sung and Chinnie Kwan Named Scholarship
  • FusionStorm Named Scholarship
  • Ed and Susan Lowe Named Scholarship
  • Florence and Joseph Nolan Named Scholarship
  • ODell Named Scholarship
  • Linda Rindt Named Scholarship
  • Shartsis Friese LLP Named Scholarship
  • Kate Steinle Scholarship Fund
  • Sue's STEAM Named Scholarship
  • Stone Family Named Scholarship
  • Tamao Sakai Named Scholarship
  • Wendy Tokuda Named Scholarship
  • Robert Warehouse Named Scholarship
  • Mary Wikstrom and Andrew Grimstad Named
  •      Scholarship
  • Sheldon and Rosemary Wong Named Scholarship
  • Quest Foundation
  • Tamra M. Adams, DDS
  • James Anderson, DDS
  • Daniel Armistead, DDS
  • Michael Y. Chan, DDS
  • William C. Chan, DDS
  • Marry Cooke, DDS
  • Darrel Dang, DDS
  • Richard A. Fagin, DDS
  • Kurtis Finley, DDS
  • James Y S Ho, DMD
  • Tri Huynh, DDS, PHD
  • Alexander Ivanoff, DDS
  • Michael McDonald, DMD
  • Michelle Olsen, DDS
  • Daniel T. Sullivan, DDS
  • Rick Tabor, DDS
  • Jennifer Terry, DDS
  • Tamir Wardany, DDS
  • Colin Yoshida, DDS
  • Ed Revelli, OD, FAAO

SRA CAREERS

Join Our Team

At Students Rising Above, we’re making a difference in the lives of thousands of low-income students through our award-winning college completion program and our online program, the SRA Hub. We are looking for talented leaders who are eager to help students break the cycle of poverty and create a new generation of employees and leaders from diverse backgrounds committed to positive change.
For more information about careers with Students Rising Above, please contact [email protected]

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Whether donating money, time, or expertise, your collaboration with Students Rising Above creates a world of opportunity for everyone.