OUR APPROACH
Doors to Dream takes a long-term and longitudinal approach to developing well-rounded and prepared students in our Title I schools. We desire for students to leave our seven year program with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to live an inspired, purposeful life. We do this through these programs, each with a different goal but all leading to graduates ready for their next steps after graduation.
Our Two Main Programs:
Pathways to Leadership builds the skills and mindset middle school students need to lead their peers and overcome challenges in high school and beyond. Beginning in 6th grade and continuing for seven years, Doors to Dream walks alongside students—building trust, resilience, and habits that help break cycles of poverty.
In eighth grade, students apply and interview for the DTD Pathways to Purpose program. Those selected begin an intensive four-year journey focused on academic excellence, community involvement, career exploration, and personalized support—culminating in eligibility for the Doors to Dream Scholarship.
STUDENT highlight:
Tevin’s DTD experience
Tevin joined Doors to Dream as a quiet freshman who showed up consistently but rarely spoke up. With steady mentorship, he gained the confidence and information needed to navigate college planning—registering for the SAT, preparing for applications, and exploring his future. When he discovered his school offered no AP classes, Tevin advocated to administrators and successfully helped launch the school’s first AP course, creating opportunity for future students. Now a senior, he has applied to dozens of colleges and been accepted to ten, including Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and North Carolina A&T. His story shows how access to mentorship and accurate guidance can turn potential into leadership and impact an entire school community.
OUR SPECIFIC ROLES AND ACTIVITIES:
Leadership Development
Strategically designed programming to ensure they know who they are and how to operate in the world around them with the skills, confidence and opportunities to lead their communities forward.
Career Readiness
Connecting professionals from a broad range of backgrounds with our partnered schools helps students to first hand explore future career opportunities and discover what they might be interested in pursuing post high school. At Doors to Dream, we believe that making it to high school graduation isn’t the end goal, but the starting line and career readiness helps students find their path for post graduation.
Individualized Mentorship
Our trained mentors offer individualized time with students to not just aid their success at school, but to build relationships so that students always know they have someone to call on, good or bad. Our mentors are invested in helping their students find personalized methods to achieve their goals and create a safe environment with them to dream.
Academic accountability
We are not tutors, but we ensure that our students are aware of their grades, how to improve them and take the steps in order to do so. We sit with our students quarterly to track their progress and advocate for themselves to teachers when necessary.
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