Achieve Twin Cities career and college readiness services expand in Saint Paul

Students in Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) comprehensive high schools now have greater access to personalized career and college readiness advising, exploration and related activities through expanded career and college readiness services, which are provided through a partnership of SPPS with Achieve Twin Cities.  

Achieve Twin Cities has provided support to thousands of students in Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) through its Career & College Centers since 2002, and now offers many of these same services in Saint Paul high schools. Achieve was invited by SPPS leadership to collaborate on the new career and college readiness programming because of its long-time experience in MPS and its alignment with the district’s “SPPS Achieves” strategic plan, which is committed to career and college pathways for all students.

“We believe that expanding to serve more students is particularly important today with the many challenges facing young people across the Twin Cities,” says Achieve Twin Cities president and CEO Danielle Grant. “These challenges include the ongoing disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as our region’s wide disparities between white students and students of color in accessing equitable postsecondary education, meaningful employment and family-sustaining wages. These gaps are some of the largest in the country. We are so honored to partner with Saint Paul Public Schools to bring career and college readiness resources to thousands of additional students as they make a plan for life after high school.”

Achieve is now providing services at Central, Como Park, Creative Arts, Harding, Humboldt and Washington Technology Magnet high schools, and will expand to Johnson and Highland Park high schools next year.  

To reflect this expansion in Saint Paul and its strong presence in both cities, AchieveMpls recently rebranded as Achieve Twin Cities. Achieve Twin Cities now serves 20,000 high school students each year through programs in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Achieve’s partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools remains as strong as ever. The organization recently added more staff to its MPS Career & College Centers and expanded to provide additional support for the new MPS Online School, as well as smaller high schools under the MPS contract alternatives umbrella. It also serves as the MPS district’s nonprofit foundation.

To celebrate this partnership, Achieve Twin Cities is hosting an official kick-off breakfast event for the Saint Paul community on Wednesday, May 18 at the Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul. Speakers will include Achieve Twin Cities president and CEO Danielle Grant, Saint Paul Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard, Dr. Eric Jolly from the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation, Katie Clark Sieben from the Cargill Foundation, Achieve Twin Cities career and college readiness staff members Doyen Kulee and Zoey Haines, and students from Saint Paul high schools served by Achieve.

For more information, contact the Achieve Twin Cities marketing team at info@achievempls.org.