College and Career Success

Institution:

Breakthrough Central Texas

State:

Texas

Academic Level:

Community-Based Organization

Issue Area:

Support Services

Program Focus:

First Year Support, Mentoring

Website:

http://breakthroughctx.org

Key Personnel:

Arelis Palacios

Contact Info:

palacios@breakthroughctx.org | 512.692.9444

Overview

Breakthrough’s mission is to build a path to and through college for students who will become the first in their family to earn a college degree. Breakthrough’s program provides 12 years of wrap-around support to help students of color from low-income communities become the first in their families to earn a college degree.

Program goal: Increase the number of first-generation and low-income Texas students who graduate from postsecondary institutions. One in three Central Texans is Latinx, and we are proud to serve this community.

Program Description

Since its inception in 2001, BTCTX has focused on first-generation students’ long-term success. From middle school through college diploma, Breakthrough provides 12 years of wrap-around support to help students of color from low-income communities become the first in their families to earn a college degree. They offer career exploration opportunities; ongoing academic advising; personalized, step-by-step guidance on college admissions and financial aid process; and intensive support once students enroll in higher education institutions. Additionally, as a response to the pandemic, BTCTX now arranges for mental health services, incorporates a trauma-informed approach into their advising service and case management model, added legal aid to their offerings for families, and increased resources for financial assistance.

Breakthrough also has formal partnerships with key area Hispanic-Serving Institutions, co-hosting orientations, sharing data, and collaborating on interventions and supports. With 76% of students—and nearly half of the staff and Board— Hispanic, Breakthrough is committed to the Latinx community.

Outcome

Breakthrough tracks critical milestones toward college completion, including postsecondary rates of enrollment, persistence, and graduation.

Results for Latinx students speak to the program’s effectiveness:

Latinx students in the high school graduating class in 2020, 86% directly enrolled in college and 80% persisted to year two of college.
For the past three years, Latinx students have come close to their ambitious goal of 60% college completion within six years, 58% of the high school graduating class of 2016, 71% of the high school graduating class of 2015, and 58% of the high school graduating class of 2015 reached this goal.
Breakthrough has seen 214 Latinx students (and 286 students overall) all the way to college graduation, with hundreds following in their footsteps.
An independent study confirmed that Breakthrough Central Texas students, even when compared to students with similar demographics and academic standing, are twice as likely to graduate from college as their peers.

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