The TEAK Fellowship was established in 1998 to help motivated New York City students gain admission to top public, independent, and parochial high schools, and to succeed once enrolled. TEAK is one of the few outcomes-driven college access and persistence support programs that recruits students in the middle school years. TEAK’s high-achieving, low-income students participate in a six-and-a-half-year fellowship comprised of academic support, mentoring, college success planning, leadership training, and career guidance; 95% of all TEAK Fellows have matriculated to college.
With our continued support, TEAK has greatly expanded its program and now features a college success program to support TEAK alumni through the college years. TEAK guides students through course selection, conducts personal visits on their respective campuses, hosts career exploration and readiness workshops through partner companies during holiday breaks and summers, and helps students and families renew their financial aid requests annually. In 2022, one hundred percent of TEAK 8th graders gained admission to selective high schools with financial aid packages covering 98% of their total school expenses and 100% of Fellows were placed at highly selective four-year colleges and universities (31% matriculating to the Ivy League) with need-based scholarships and financial aid covering 92% of college costs.