At the 1,000 Dreams Fund, we are laser-focused on helping female students in need with the often- unfunded “extra” costs that make a huge impact and can change lives.

Case in point: Our Project: Girls On The Rise (PGOTR) program helps high school girls across the country break through financial barriers by allowing them to visit the colleges of their dreams through dedicated funding and programming to help ensure college success.

In fact, since the program was founded in 2016, our students have visited colleges in 12 states — and counting!

PGOTR student Stephanie at University of Colorado – Denver, CO

Thanks to our expansion to four additional cities this year in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters in those respective communities, we have been able to serve more young women! And with more participating students, that means more college visits!

Indeed, just this fall, we’ve had our PGOTR scholarship recipients from Orange County, Miami, Omaha, Kansas City, and Houston visit 18 different college campuses to ensure they select the right college for them — and their dreams — so that they can fully thrive in their education and their future.

PGOTR student Valerie at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University – Greensboro, NC

Our goal with PGOTR is to have these rising student stars find their best fit school — whether it’s a preference for small classrooms over big lecture halls, or talented S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students finding their home at schools that offer top STEM training. The opportunity to visit a school — in person — makes all the difference in that quest. The students we fund wouldn’t have the opportunity to visit these out-of-state schools without our support.

PGOTR student Sara at NYU – New York City, NY

And our partners agree.

“Campus visits are a vital element for students when choosing their best-fit college,” explains Micheal Lawrence, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City. “By partnering with 1,000 Dreams Fund, we are now able to help young women in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City program on their journey to college success.”

PGOTR student Jennifer at DePaul University – Chicago, IL

Not only are campus visits vital, but they can even open doors to full-ride offers, as Kansas City PGOTR student Aria discovered.

When Aria visited Norfolk State University, she was verbally offered a full-tuition scholarship because of her impressive GPA and her high ACT score as well as her other community involvement. Of course, she still has some big decisions to make with a few other schools in the running. But, her visit to Norfolk shows just how powerful these campus visits through PGOTR truly are!

1DF Founder Christie Garton with PGOTR student Aria

Here’s a quick snapshot of where our PGOTR girls have been schooling it up on tours lately:

• Aria: Howard University – Washington, D.C.; Hampton University – Hampton, VA; Norfolk State University – Norfolk, VA
• Stephanie: University of Colorado – Denver, CO
• Kristin: Southwest Missouri State – Springfield, MO; University of Missouri – Kansas City, MO
• Kailynn: California State University – East Bay, Hayward, CA; San Jose State University – San Jose, CA; California State University – Monterey Bay, CA
• Jennifer: University of Illinois –  Chicago, IL; DePaul University; Columbia College – Chicago; Loyola University – Chicago, IL
• Melody: Georgetown University – Washington, D.C.; American University – Washington, D.D.
• Sara: New York University – New York City, NY
• Valerie: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University – Greensboro, NC
• Evelyn: Saint Louis University – St. Louis, MO; Washington University – St. Louis, MO
• Lyric: Santa Fe College – Santa Fe, NM

And, here are just a few amazing highlights from their visits this fall!

PGOTR student Aria at Norfolk State University – Norfolk, VA

“I am definitely interested in attending one of the universities that I toured,” said Aria. “Each campus had a great vibe that I feel that I can flourish at, and I enjoyed seeing activities that the college campuses had and how the students interacted with one another.”

It’s safe to say they’ve been having plenty of fun, too, while educating themselves on their college options.

PGOTR student Kailynn with Big Sister Jackie while visiting California State University – Monterey Bay, CA

“My favorite part was seeing what the college has to offer and experiencing the campus life and vibe,” said Stephanie. “They had a small festival on campus that day and I was able to see student life in action!”

PGOTR student Stephanie at University of Colorado – Denver, CO

If you’d like to know more about our Project: Girls On the Rise and the young women we help, please click here.

To add your support for these most deserving young women, please click here.