Higher Achievement

Our CEO Lynsey Wood Jeffries hit the airwaves! 📻✨

She recently sat down with iHeartRadio's 97.1 WASH-FM Community DC segment to share the story of Higher Achievement — how we're closing the opportunity gap for middle schoolers in under-resourced communities, one mentor-mentee relationship at a time.

Listen to the full segment: https://washfm.iheart.com/featured/community-dc/content/2026-06-02-community-dc-lynsey-wood-jeffries-higher-achievement/

Thanks to the support of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, our 8th-grade scholars had the opportunity to attend a 3-day overnight trip to Smith Island.

Scholars spent the weekend setting crab traps, fishing, marsh mucking, learning about local species and environmental stewardship, and even spotting dolphins. Experiences like these help young people build confidence, curiosity, teamwork, and a deeper connection to the world around them.

At our annual Green Apples graduation ceremony, we celebrated our 8th-grade scholars' accomplishments, honored our dedicated mentors, experienced the talents of scholar poets, and heard from an alum of the program.

Each year, Higher Achievement selects one outstanding 8th-grade scholar to receive our "Maureen Holla Award." This year's award winner, Angie, shared the impact of her time in the program:

"Higher Achievement gave me self-confidence. It helped me discover a part of myself I never knew I had.... Higher Achievement has and still is preparing me for my future. The program overall built the person I am today and I'm so grateful they did. I realized I wasn’t alone anymore. This time, I knew I belonged right here in Higher Achievement.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 — we are cheering you on always!

Wells Achievement Center scholars recently visited The Bonifant senior apartment community in Silver Spring for a service-learning field trip.

Scholars spent time connecting with senior residents by playing games, serving ice cream, and listening to their stories. Scholars and residents experienced meaningful connections throughout the day. Scholars Madison, Zoe, and Kendall created drawings for residents, and another scholar, Chadwin, concentrated deeply during his game of checkers with a resident.

Big shoutout to Ms. Tammy, one of Wells' Center Leads, for coordinating this experience! This trip was a great example of our scholars striving for excellence and showing the power of community by putting others first.

Congratulations to our 8th-grade graduates! 🎓

At our annual Green Apples graduation ceremony, scholars, mentors, and staff received recognition for embodying Higher Achievement's culture principles of spirit, respect, excellence, and collaboration.

Each year, Higher Achievement selects one outstanding 8th-grade scholar to receive our "Maureen Holla Award." This year's Maureen Holla award winner, Lemaris, created a unique artistic and written reflection of his time at Higher Achievement in the form of a book, with each chapter representing a piece of his experience.

At the graduation ceremony, Lemaris shared, "I'm leaving here tonight feeling better about my future than when I came in. And that's because of this program and every person in this room."

Jordan Dowtin-Dorsey's earliest memory of building community outside of her family began at Higher Achievement. "That experience changed my trajectory in life in so many ways,” reflects Jordan.

Higher Achievement offered Jordan tools to manage her emotions, form friendships, and dream big. “Being part of Higher Achievement changed how I perceived my abilities. It gave me the tenacity and confidence to go after what I wanted.”

After earning her degree in Neuroscience and a Master of Biomedical Studies from Drexel University, Jordan is now teaching a STEM elective at an elementary school in Anacostia while pursuing her goal of attending medical school. Before that next chapter begins, she's giving back as a Higher Achievement mentor, helping to build the community that meant so much to her as a scholar.

"Everything I am able to do now is because people poured into me. Higher Achievement poured into me. I come every single week to mentor to pass that on to the next person."

Read Jordan's full story: https://higherachievement.org/alumni-and-mentor-spotlight-jordan-dowtin-dorsey/

We are excited to announce that we have already awarded 8 scholarships for alumni through our Last Dollar Alumni Fund Scholarship, and applications are still being accepted!

This scholarship is designed to support alumni as they work toward college completion or finishing a trade program. Each year, we hear from alumni facing unexpected financial obstacles that can disrupt their progress. The Last Dollar Alumni Fund provides flexible financial support—up to $1,000—to help remove these barriers.

Learn more and apply on our website: https://ow.ly/XiLY50YWgxG

Thanks to the support of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, scholars had the opportunity to put STEM learning in action during a field trip to the Chincoteague Bay Field Station.

Scholars explored marine organism anatomy through a hands-on shark dissection and discovered the intertidal zone at Toms Cove on Assateague Island.

Higher Achievement scholars explored possibilities for their futures during a field trip to Virginia State University.

Scholars toured the campus, ate at the dining hall, and visited Randolph Farm, VSU's agricultural learning center. Scholars fed fish at their on-site fish hatchery, and learned about aquaculture, horticultural crops, nutrient management, and water quality while touring the greenhouse and demonstration garden.

Aubrey recently celebrated a big win: earning a place in Bard High School Early College Baltimore’s incoming freshman class. Aubrey, an 8th-grade scholar at Higher Achievement Baltimore's Highlandtown Achievement Center, worked hard to secure this accomplishment while navigating doubts and challenges.

“When I finally got the letter saying that I had gotten in, it was shocking,” recalls Aubrey. “There was a line full of people wanting to get in, so being accepted to the school was a big thing to me.” Aubrey credits Higher Achievement with providing critical support during her preparation. “I don’t think I would have gotten into Bard without the help of Higher Achievement,” she says. “It’s a big accomplishment going to an early college school. I want to make my family proud, and I want to go to college, and I feel like getting into Bard is a big step forward in accomplishing my goals. I’m proud of myself.”

Higher Achievement places significant emphasis on developing high school readiness for scholars like Aubrey through academic enrichment, social-emotional skill-building, field trips, and mentoring. “At Higher Achievement, they’ve taught me that I don’t have to be scared to ask anyone for help. No one is going to see me as any less—they see me as a regular student who just needs help,” says Aubrey.

The experiences Aubrey has gained—and the confidence she has built—will continue to shape her as she pursues her goals in high school and beyond.

“A life lesson I’ve taken away from Higher Achievement is to not give up just because something doesn’t go right with you immediately. It’s one of the most important life lessons because every day can feel like a challenge, and sometimes you just want to give up. But I’ve learned if something is holding you back, you can’t give up.”

Read more on our blog: https://higherachievement.org/scholar-spotlight-aubrey/