Access Academies

🚀Congratulations to the newest members of the Access Academies family! We are proud to welcome 38 rising 8th graders into the 2026–2027 Access Academies cohort.

These students officially began their Access journey last month by attending a parent orientation and signing their student contracts. Over the next several years, they will receive academic support, counseling, mentorship, assistance in finding a best-fit high school, enrichment opportunities, and college and career-readiness programming designed to help them thrive in high school and beyond.

As Access Academies continues expanding opportunities for students across the region, this year’s cohort reflects one of the most diverse groups of partner and participating schools in our organization’s history -- including many schools new to the Access community.

This year’s cohort includes students from:

• Buerkle Middle School
• Busch Middle School
• Chaminade College Preparatory School St. Louis
• De Smet Jesuit High School
• Foundation Christian Academy
• Hoech Middle School
• Immanuel Lutheran School - Olivette
• Lutheran North Middle School
• McKinley Leadership Academy
• Miriam School and Learning Center
• Northwest Middle School
• Principia School
• River Roads Lutheran School
• St. Louis Language Immersion School
• St. Ann Catholic Church & School
• St. Cecilia School & Academy
• St. Frances Cabrini Academy
• St. Louis Catholic Academy
• St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic School

We can’t wait to watch this talented group of students grow and succeed!

Congratulations to the Access scholars at Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School who were recently inducted into the National Junior Honor Society: Jameila T. (6th), Traniece W. (7th), Chyna S. (6th), and Ezekiel N. (8th)! We are so proud of your hard work and academic achievement.

🎉🎓Congratulations to Principia School's Shawn Allen and Miley Villalvazo from South City Catholic Academy for winning this year’s Charlie Glik Scholarship! The $1,000 award, given annually by the Glik family in memory of their son Charlie, recognizes outstanding 8th graders from the Access program, and the selection is based on an essay titled “How I Will Give Back to My Community After College Graduation.” Robert Glik presented the scholarship to both Miley and Shawn during their final A2HS session this weekend.

Shawn will continue his academic journey at Principa, while Miley will attend Notre Dame High School - St. Louis. We wish them both the best of luck in the fall!

To read more about the Glik Scholarship, here is a nice article in the St. Louis Jewish Light: https://stljewishlight.org/top-story/from-heartbreak-to-hope-the-inspiring-legacy-of-the-charlie-glik-scholarship/

🎓Access is seeking volunteers for our Summer Scholars Program!

This summer, our rising high school seniors will participate in a series of college and career readiness workshops designed to help prepare them for life after high school.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with:
• Resume Review Sessions
• Speed Networking / Mock Interviews

Volunteers will provide constructive feedback, encouragement, and professional insight as students prepare for internships, jobs, scholarships, and college opportunities. Here are the details:

Location: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 1:30–2:45 PM

Please sign up using the form below, and thank you for supporting our students!

🔗https://forms.gle/PF3n2PcywZhCYkh26

💛 Today is , and you're probably hearing from a lot of amazing organizations across St. Louis. We hope Access is one of the causes you choose to support.

For more than 20 years, Access has provided high school and college-prep enrichment programs, one-on-one counseling, and generous scholarships that have helped so many students from across the region succeed in high school, college, and beyond.

Your generosity has helped make that possible. Today, every donation — big or small — helps ensure that more than 400 middle school, high school, and college students and their families have the resources and mentorship needed to dream big and achieve even bigger. More specifically, your gift will help us:

• Keep tuition at top college-prep high schools affordable for our families.
• Provide academic enrichment programs like Access to High School (A2HS) and Access to College (A2C), as well as career exploration, college visits, and ACT preparation.
• Award scholarships and financial assistance to help students persist through college.
• Build a stronger, more vibrant region by investing in the next generation of leaders.

Can we count on you to help us continue this work? If you’re considering a gift today, we’d be incredibly grateful for your continued support at https://www.givestlday.org/organization/AccessAcademies