The freshman Class of 2021 has chosen to work with Noel Community Arts School, Scholar Joon Baang’s alma mater in the Montbello neighborhood of Denver. This community, where nearly 90% of students are economically disadvantaged and only 11% meet ACT standards of college readiness, has been prone to violence and witnessed the near closing of its middle school.

This project is an entrepreneurial endeavor designed by the Greenhouse Scholars with the guidance of our staff and a volunteer advisor, Matt Polick. The Class of 2021 will provide vital resources for students to cultivate a long-term impact on achievement and school culture. The Scholars are working with committed administrators and will volunteer in-person to provide mentorship to student body leaders, enabling those students to guide their classmates towards positive behaviors that will create lasting change in their school and community.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We rely on donations from you and other members of the Greenhouse Scholars community to support this program. Today, you can be a driving force for change in low-income communities.

$10,000 – Sponsor a Scholar for one full year of the program
$2,000 – Help out-of-state Scholars attend a summer boot camp for their high school mentees
$1,000 – Support the creation of a mural designed to visualize education opportunities in a Montbello school
$500 – Coach Greenhouse Scholars to serve as role models to younger students by presenting their stories of relentlessness and achievement
Any amount – Become a valued member of the Greenhouse Scholars community by supporting our Impact program

Contribute today

Crystal’s family’s circumstances caused her to attend three different high schools; despite this and other challenges, her commitment to service never wavered, and as a senior at Abraham Lincoln High School she was awarded Mentor of the Year for helping a younger student raise her GPA from a 0.0 to a 3.0.

Crystal has long known that she wanted to help young people, but was unsure how. Last year, through Greenhouse Scholars’ Professional Networking program, Crystal was put in contact with Kate Brenan, Director of Teacher Leadership and Collaboration at Denver Public Schools. Through Kate, Crystal was able to connect with several other DPS employees who represented the array of career paths available to her. Crystal was thrilled with what she was able to learn from these contacts, saying, “I had never really considered being a school counselor, but after meeting with Kate, I felt excited to start researching a career path that I feel a strong passion for.”

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We rely on donations from you and other members of the Greenhouse Scholars community to support this program. Today, you can provide life-changing opportunities for deserving and high-performing students like Crystal.

$10,000 – Sponsor a Scholar for one full year (like 8z Real Estate does for Crystal)
$2,000 – Recruit, vet, and train 15 Professional Networking contacts
$1,000 – Cover the cost of 50 Scholars’ Professional Networking meetings
$500 – Enable surveys and follow up to track and improve program results
Any amount – Become a valued member of the Greenhouse Scholars community by supporting our Professional Networking program

Contribute today

In a speech that has gone viral (55,000 views on Facebook!), Amadou talks about the difficulties of growing up around poverty and violence, the passion for education instilled in him by his parents, and his role as an advocate for those in his community who have been deprived of opportunity. He also describes his relationship with his Greenhouse Scholars mentor, Stockton Croft, who has been instrumental in guiding Amadou through his challenging double major economics, pre-medicine track at Stanford. In Amadou’s own words, “I love this man!”

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We rely on donations from you and other members of the Greenhouse Scholars community to support this program. Today, you can provide life-changing opportunities for deserving and high-performing students like Amadou.

Contribute today

Ahnika’s experience with instability and homelessness, coupled with the tremendous support of a Colorado Springs community that nurtured her during difficult times, created an insatiable drive to never give up. As part of the Greenhouse Scholars community, Ahnika has been inspired by Scholars, mentors, and other supporters to be a leader who engages and encourages younger, under-resourced students to pursue their dreams with tenacity.

In college, Ahnika is pursuing a career in economics so that she may create policies to address the inequities which have impacted her and countless others. Through Greenhouse Scholars’ Internship program, she earned positions working for longtime Greenhouse Scholars supporters, Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, and Zayo Group. From these experiences, Ahnika gained critical insights into excellence, leadership, problem solving and risk taking. Today, she is applying those lessons to her own personal and professional growth so that she may create the change she so deeply desires.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We rely on donations from you and other members of the Greenhouse Scholars community to support this program. Today, you can provide life-changing opportunities for deserving and high-performing students like Ahnika.

$10,000 – Sponsor a Scholar for one full year (like 8z Real Estate does for Ahnika)

$2,000 – Support a Scholar during an internship abroad

$1,000 – Allow a Scholar to accept an unpaid internship by covering living costs

$500 – Provide five Scholars with one-on-one coaching to find and make the most of internship opportunities

Any amount – Become a valued member of the Greenhouse Scholars community by supporting our Internship program

Contribute today

Just months before starting college, Kaleb and his mother were called into his doctor’s office to receive unfortunate news. Kaleb was HIV positive. Shortly after the diagnosis, Kaleb’s health worsened, requiring him to receive weeks of painful treatment. There were times when Kaleb thought that it would be easier to die than to fight for his life everyday, but his mother encouraged him to stay strong.

A week after treatment, Kaleb attended his first Summer Symposium, worried about the stigma of his disease and unsure what to tell others. During a seminar about vulnerability, Kaleb was inspired to share his story with other Greenhouse Scholars and was astonished by the love, acceptance, and support that he received.

Today, Kaleb is thriving and pursuing new leadership opportunities on his campus. He currently serves as Vice President of DePauw’s student executive board and works to give a voice to marginalized communities. At the most recent Summer Symposium, he spoke about his experience with HIV, the support that he received from Greenhouse Scholars, and his ongoing work as a community leader. You can watch his inspiring speech on our YouTube channel.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We rely on donations from you and other members of the Greenhouse Scholars community to support this program. Today, you can provide life-changing opportunities for deserving and high-performing students like Kaleb.

$10,000 – Sponsor a Scholar for one full year of the program

$2,000 – Give 20 Scholars a leadership development opportunity like rock climbing

$1,000 – Cover travel costs for world class speakers to come share their knowledge at the Summer Symposium

$500 – Provide 10 Scholars with the supplies to participate in the Summer Symposium

Any amount – Become a valued member of the Greenhouse Scholars community by supporting the Summer Symposium

Contribute today

Greenhouse Scholars hallmark event, Annual Inspire, is just 2 weeks away. This is the one time we bring together all of the Greenhouse Scholars and our community of supporters. Please join us for this incredibly special and inspiring experience.

During this memorable evening, you will hear how three of our incredible young leaders surmounted unfathomable challenges, from homelessness to an HIV diagnosis, and what our Greenhouse Scholars community of support has meant to them during their unrelenting journeys of personal achievement and community impact.

Event Details:
Tuesday, August 8th, 5-7:30pm
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) – Boulder, CO
RSVP Required: annualinspire.org
Tickets are complimentary | $50 Donation Suggested

Thank you to the guests and sponsors who joined us for a delicious and memorable meal at The Community Table on June 10, 2017.

Chef Ed Sura of NoMi Kitchen shared his appreciation of approachable, rustic dishes full of fresh, local ingredients in the form of an unforgettable four-course meal. The dinner featured a summer vegetable tart, seared Skuna Bay salmon, grilled flank steak with pickled garlic, and a black pepper strawberry shortcake.

In addition to raising over $70,000 (net) for the Greenhouse Scholars mission, the event also cultivated interest from four prospective mentors for our Class of 2021.

If you would like to join us as a host or corporate sponsor for next year’s event in spring of 2018 please contact Gret Luhrs at gluhrs@greenhousescholars.org or 312-784-3213.

We appreciate everyone who made the festivities so memorable – particularly our sponsors: Gresham Partners, Andersen Tax, and Aldridge Electric.

We also want to recognize our In Kind Partners; Chef Ed Sura of NoMI Park Hyatt, Banquet Sous Chef Shane Cawley from Park Hyatt, and Cream Wine Co.

In November more than 300 high school seniors submitted their application to Greenhouse Scholars in the hopes of creating a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Over the course of the next 6 months, 450 volunteers spent countless hours reviewing applications and interviewing candidates to identify those that exemplified our core values of leadership, relentlessness, accountability, and community.

We are incredibly proud to introduce the newest Greenhouse Scholars, 24 exceptional young leaders and role models who are our Class of 2021!  Please click here to read about each of our new Scholars.

Facts about the Class of 2021

• The Class of 2021 held a collective 50 leadership positions in high school as Student Board of Education board members, Presidents of their class and/or National Honor Society, founders of clubs, and captains of sports teams
• Their average household income is $33,500
• Their average high school GPA is 3.9
• This class contains our first Scholars — 4 in total — to attend Harvard University
• These Scholars held 27 part or full time jobs and internships while in high school; 5 Scholars worked 20 or more hours per week to support their families
• The Class of 2021 includes 5 Valedictorians and 2 Salutatorians
• 3 Scholars are entrepreneurs who have founded their own companies or filed a patent of a scientific research finding
• 6 new Scholars were inspired to apply to the program by current or past Greenhouse Scholars
• 100% are poised to create positive, lasting change for generations to come

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a memorable and impactful evening at Glass Half Full Colorado. With your support we raised just over $65,000 net for Greenhouse Scholars! This event had an immediate impact on the number of students we were able to accept into our incoming freshman class.

Photos from Top Drawer Photography are now available on our Facebook page and click here to view the video of our featured speaker, George Truong.

If you would like to join us as a host or corporate sponsor for next year’s event in spring of 2018 please contact Greg Max at gmax@greenhousescholars.org or 303-459-5473.

We appreciate everyone who made the festivities so memorable – particularly our sponsors: FirstBank, Zayo Group, Aerotek, Savills Studley, DigitalGlobe, and Greenhouse Partners.

Thanks also to the restaurants; Interstate Kitchen & Bar, Dish Gourmet, Chow Urban Grill, and Briar Common and beverage purveyors; Pedroncelli, Suerte, Enchanted Rock, Great Divide, Rebecca Creek, The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey, and Leopold Bros., who generously donated their time and talents.

On Saturday, April 22nd, Greenhouse Scholars’ community of supporters in Atlanta came together for a fun and festival backyard bbq at the home of hosts Michael and Laura Outlaw.

Food was provided by Atlanta’s own Fox Bros Bar-B-Q and guests enjoyed live music from Bobby J and the D’villes. Two current Greenhouse Scholars – Amadou, Stanford University, Class of 2019 and Jessie, Georgia Institute of Technology, Class of 2020 – and one Greenhouse Scholars Alum – Alhassan, Colorado State University, Class of 2012 – mingled with supporters.

Amadou, an aspiring surgeon and the child of immigrants from Guinea shared how grateful he is for the educational opportunities his life in America afforded him. Never losing sight of his educational goals, at BEST Academy in Atlanta Public Schools, Amadou sought every opportunity to get involved in the community by taking on several club leadership roles and graduating as valedictorian. When he joined the Greenhouse Scholars program, Amadou was paired with a Mentor, Stockton Croft, who he credits as instrumental in helping him navigate college and helping him make valuable networking connections including an internship this summer at Merrill Lynch. Greenhouse Scholars’ Flex Funding program enabled Amadou to work in a children’s hospital in Ghana last summer, an experience he described as life changing.

2017 marked the inaugural year for the Glass Half Full benefit in Georgia and the support was overwhelming. Guests bid on a variety of exclusive auction experiences such as spa and golf packages and donated to sponsor a Scholar; raising over $50,000 for the organization.

The video of Amadou’s speech has been viewed by and inspired more than 30,000 people on Facebook.

Click here to view photos
Click here to view videos