“While our refugee students desperately wish to attend college, our school's resources are stretched to the ‘max’ with us focusing on attendance issues, language acquisition, and cultural adjustment. Thus, our PAIR volunteers represent... the cavalry riding into the rescue.”

In the past year, 20 to 30 students regularly participated in Saturday Sessions. All of them showed improvement on tests of letter recognition, letter-sound recognition, and reading speed. More than 40 have attended each College Orientation Day, which has strengthened their conviction that college education is worth pursuing. With help from PAIR's College Counseling program, four high school seniors were accepted to college and received financial aid. More than 20 students in 9th through 11th grades took part in multi-session workshops explaining the value of a college education and the steps in the college application process. PAIR volunteers also assisted five young students in gaining admission to YESPrep, a highly-regarded charter school program.