ASPIRE

ASPIRE - Academic Support Program to Inspire, Reinforce and Empower - is designed to fulfill our mission of helping immigrant youth achieve their higher education and career goals.

ASPIRE AT A GLANCE

  • Over 100 middle & high school students served in the ‘23 - ’24 school year.

  • Small group instruction held 2 to 3 days a week, on-site at 10 local schools from Greenwich to Bridgeport.

  • Curriculum tailored to develop the speaking, listening, reading & writing skills critical to academic success.

  • We embed cultural exchange activities, field trips & college visits to engage & inspire our students.

  • Our students come from many countries, including Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THROUGH ENGAGEMENT, MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS, AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE

We use formative and summative assessments to gauge students’ progress.

100% of 2024 survey participants would recommend the ASPIRE program.

VIRGINIA STEPHENS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

In honor of the late Virginia Stephens, who played a pivotal role as an ELSS co-founder, we established the Virginia Stephens Memorial Scholarship to amplify our mission during the summer season. Through this scholarship program, we partner with Sacred Heart University to provide students with ESL classes over the summer to continue building their English proficiency.

Virginia's dedication to the provision of English language services for middle and high school students left an indelible mark on the community and we are honored to continue that legacy through this program.

Virginia Stephens, 1946 - 2024