Be A Leader Foundation & Club
What is Be A Leader Foundation?
Founded in 2002 by Gary and Melissa Trujillo, the foundation was named after the signature charge Gary received from his mentor, Pete Garcia. (A Phoenix-based nonprofit organization)
What is a four-year college (bachelor's) degree?
A student is defined as "first-generation" if their parents or guardians have not earned this degree level.
What is the Double Helix Dragon?
Located in downtown Phoenix, Bioscience High School's official school mascot is this double-structured mythical creature.
What is the FAFSA?
Completing this federal financial aid form is the single most important step for unlocking grants, loans, and work-study for college.
What is Alpha Alpha Alpha (or Tri-Alpha)?
Established in 2018 at Moravian College, this national collegiate honor society with blue and silver colors specifically recognizes the achievements of first-generation college students.
What is 31%?
Be A Leader youth achieve an impressive postsecondary graduation rate of 58-59%, nearly double this statewide average percentage for Arizona overall.
What is Upward Bound?
Created under the Higher Education Act of 1965, this federal TRIO program provides high school students with tutoring and college preparation.
What are Purple and Green?
These two colors represent the official school colors of Bioscience High School.
What is Harvard University?
Founded in 1636, this Massachusetts university is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
What is the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)?
Unlocking grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid, this key federal financial application traditionally opens every year on October 1st.
What is President and CEO?
In April 2022, long-time team member and ASU physics graduate Soilo J. Felix assumed this leadership title at the foundation.
What is Cultural Capital?
First-gen students build this form of sociologically recognized "capital" the unwritten norms, terminology, and institutional familiarity needed to navigate campus systems.
What is Biomedical Science?
After completing foundational 9th and 10th grade STEM courses, Bioscience upperclassmen choose between Engineering and this medical pathway.
What are the Colonial Colleges?
Seven of the eight Ivy League institutions belong to this group of nine colleges chartered prior to the American Revolution.
What is the Senior Launch Guide?
Arizona GEAR UP partners with Be A Leader to host college events using this comprehensive step-by-step guidebook designed for graduating high schoolers.
What are Postsecondary Access, Postsecondary Transition, and Postsecondary Success?
Be A Leader structures its comprehensive pipeline of programs around these three strategic priority areas.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Many first-gen students experience this psychological feeling the doubt that they belong in college or that their admission was a mistake.
What is the McKinley Building?
Renovated with a $2.4 million grant, this historic 1900s campus building houses administrative offices and biomedical classrooms.
What are "Public Ivies"?
Coined by Richard Moll in 1985, this term describes top-tier public universities like UC Berkeley or UT Austin that offer Ivy-quality education at public rates.
What is Participatory Budgeting?
Phoenix Union High School District became the first district in the country to allocate funds to this democratic, student-led decision-making process known as PB.
What is the Roosevelt Community Technology Center (RCTC)?
Before launching structured youth leadership programs in 2006, the founders raised $1 million in 1996 to establish this community center in South Phoenix.
What is Social Capital?
Connecting with "one caring adult," mentors, and professional networks builds this critical asset for student resilience.
What is BACE (Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam) certification?
Bioscience High School partnered with CEI LabForce at Connect Labs to offer students hands-on internships and this industry certification.
What is the Open Curriculum?
Brown University is famous for this flexible curriculum model that allows undergraduates to design their own education with virtually no core requirements.
What is Fennemore?
Partnering with Be A Leader Foundation for Professional Shadow Week, this Arizona law firm gives high school students firsthand exposure to legal careers.