San Francisco Achievers

Graduation season is here, and we could not be more proud of our High School Achievers.

This spring, our young men walked across stages at Thurgood Marshall, Wallenberg, Burton, and Lowell. They got there with support from weekly advising sessions, financial literacy workshops, college planning, and mentors who showed up for them all year long. That is what the High School Achievers Program does. We go into schools, we build relationships, and we stay.

To every Achiever who crossed that stage this spring: this community is cheering for you. Congratulations, Class of 2026.

Who do you know that should be part of the Achievers family? Tag them below.

Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember the service members who gave their lives in service to this country.

We want to take a moment to honor their sacrifice and to hold space for the families who live with that loss every day.

At San Francisco Achievers, our work is built on commitment to community and to one another. Memorial Day reminds us why that commitment matters. It asks us to remember the people who gave everything so others could have the chance to build their futures.

However you spend today, we hope you take a moment to reflect and remember.
How is your community observing Memorial Day this year?

Meet one of our sophomores. He is not pictured here, and we are keeping his name private to protect his anonymity. But his story is one we want to share.

Earlier this school year, he was carrying a 1.00 GPA and his family was considering a transfer to Job Corps on Treasure Island. He was close to leaving his school.

Then our Lead High School Achievers staff sat down with him one-on-one. Together they built a plan: meet twice a week during 5th and 7th period, focus on missing assignments, improve attendance, finish missing work before Spring Break.
He showed up. Every week. And the work paid off.

English went from 0 percent to 67 percent.
Biology went from 10 percent to 58 percent.

He is now on track to pass all his classes this semester and stay enrolled at his school.
This is what consistent, weekly support looks like. One staff member. One student. One plan that kept a young man in school and moving toward graduation.

Last year, 100 percent of our Achievers graduated high school and 100 percent matriculated to college. Stories like this one are how we get there.

If you believe every young man deserves someone in his corner, we would love your support. Visit sfachievers.org/donate or share this post to help spread the word.

Who in your life made the difference when you needed it most? Tell us in the comments.

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our founder, Dr. Henry Safrit.

Henry built San Francisco Achievers on a simple, lasting belief: that every African American young man in this city deserves the opportunity to thrive. For nearly two decades, that belief has shaped the lives of hundreds of scholars, the work of our staff and volunteers, and the character of the community he gathered around this mission.

His vision lives on in every Achiever and Scholar who walks across a graduation stage, every mentor who shows up week after week, and every family who has trusted us with their son's future. We are who we are because of him.

We are honoring the family's privacy at this time. Please join us in holding them, and our SFA community, in your thoughts.

If Henry touched your life, we would be grateful if you shared a memory of him in the comments below.

This National Volunteer Week, we want to take a moment to thank the people who make San Francisco Achievers work.

Our mentors sit across from young men who need to see themselves reflected in someone who's been where they're going. Our scholarship interviewers help us find the next cohort of Scholars. Our event supporters show up from setup to breakdown. And our Board of Directors leads entirely on a volunteer basis.

Together, you help us deliver a 100% high school graduation rate and 100% college matriculation rate for our scholars. That doesn't happen without you.
If you'd like to get involved, visit sfachievers.org to learn more.

We serve young Black men, but we know this: equity is not a single-issue conversation.

This International Women's Day, we celebrate the women who make our work possible.

➡ Danielle Adams, our Executive Director, leads with purpose
➡ Kiani Shaw, our Programs Manager, builds programs with care

Women across our community show up as mentors, volunteers, mothers, and advocates every single day

The fight for equity belongs to all of us. Happy International Women's Day.