“Your job is to do well in school and get accepted into the best college for you. EE will make certain that you don’t have to worry about whether you can pay for it.”

This is what I tell every Exceeding Expectations kid and family when they first join us.

In the early days, every time I said those words, my heart skipped a beat and my palms got sweaty. I had no idea how we were going to do that. I simply knew that we had to.

Over the years I’ve watched you folks step up and share my goals for these kids. I still say these words to every new member, but rather than wondering how we can make this happen, I now send up a little prayer of thanks for each of you and your generous, ongoing support.

The EE kids and their families truly believe this commitment I make to them. They now have hard evidence as they watch their older team mates graduate high school and head off to college. They understand this deal is real and it’s their ticket to a better life.

That said, let me present our 2016 Exceeding Expectations graduates:

John Alvarez and Enrique Campos have been friends for many years and this June they  both graduated from San Gorgonio High School.

John Alvarez

Enrique and the rest of the Campi

John got early acceptance to California Baptist University and Enrique is going to attend Valley College for his first two years, where he looks forward to continuing his running with the school’s track and field team.

Lousia Moreno graduated from Berkeley with a degree in International Studies. Her plans are to work for a year before attending graduate school. Her younger sister, Tammy Patterson, following her older sister’s fine example, will be attending the University of California Riverside in the fall.

Louisa                                                                               Tammy, with brother Joseph
 

Marlene Samano, who many of you have watched grow up with Exceeding Expectations, graduated from University of California at San Diego  with a degree in Human Development and Psychology. She, too, plans to work for a year before heading back to school for a Master’s degree.

Marlene came to us as a nine-year-old with a great desire to go to college and a complete lack of hope, the result of a home life that was anything but encouraging of her dreams. Yet, last Sunday she marched across the stage and picked up her bachelor’s degree from a prestigious university. She and our other 2016 graduates are all striking examples of what EE strives to do for kids who face a very bleak future without a little help from folks like us.

On behalf of these five graduates and all the other EE kids who are working on creating a better future for themselves and their families, let me extend my gratitude to each of you. Without your willingness to get involved and invest in our program, none of this would be happening. And, with your continued help, we’ll be seeing EE graduates for years to come.

Thank you very much!

-Cherie