The goal of the program is to identify, motivate, educate and mentor the “college-aspirational” students at Richmond High and De Anza High in order to have as many students as possible apply to, attend, and graduate from four-year colleges. We want to change the lives of the students in the program so they can ultimately improve the lives of their families and change their communities. It is important to the long-term success of the program that particular attention is paid to freshmen and sophomore students’ attendance and academic performance to get them on the right track and keep them there. There is a trend for many low-income students’ academic performance and commitment to diminish toward the end of their sophomore and into their junior years due to peer pressure to not achieve, economic pressures to work, boy-girl relationships and an attitudinal shift toward apathy. This is a common evolution with teenagers at many high schools, but is particularly pronounced in low-income areas. Long term success is achieved through holding students accountable, providing emotional and financial support, regular contact and communication, showing students someone cares about their success.