Billiken Breakthrough Summer Program Welcomes High School Students to SLU
For the first time, Saint Louis University’s Prison Education Program hosted Billiken Breakthrough, a three-day college discovery experience for high school students entering ninth through twelfth grade.
The goal of the program was to bring students from underrepresented backgrounds, students who were negatively impacted by the criminal justice system or were from contexts where higher education was thought to be unattainable, to become immersed in Saint Louis University with a college prep pedagogy.
"I've spent years watching education transform lives in places where hope is often in short supply," said Courtney Everett, director of finance and development for SLU’s Prison Education Program and program director for Billiken Breakthrough. "One thing I've learned is that breakthrough doesn't begin when someone gets accepted to college, it begins the moment they start believing they're capable of more. Too many young people grow up in communities where the social norms have taught them that a university like Saint Louis University isn't a place for people like them. Billiken Breakthrough is about helping students break through those expectations. We wanted them to experience this campus, build meaningful relationships, and leave seeing themselves not as visitors, but as people who belong here.”
Scholarships that covered the full cost of the program for participants brought six students from across the St. Louis region to campus, July 8-10.
Day one started off with introducing students to Saint Louis University, including an activity led by Virginia Herbers, director of mission formation in SLU’s division of mission and identity. Herbers met students at the St. Ignatius of Loyola statue on the quad in front of DuBourg to discuss SLU’s Jesuit, Catholic mission which included a tour of College Church.
Day two consisted of campus tours, admission presentations, and a lab experiment led by Krysta Azurdia, student worker in the department of Biology at the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center.
The goal of the program was to have a personal impact on each student, giving them the inspiration to believe that the higher education path was available to them. One clear example of this purpose took place on Billiken Breakthrough’s final day, where students were led in activities that highlighted career readiness, thoughtful reflection, and a ceremony where each participant was given a certificate of achievement.
“It was such an honor to facilitate sessions with the students to help connect their current high school experience to future opportunities at SLU and beyond," said Meredith Rataj, program director for SLU’s Transformative Workforce Academy. "I especially enjoyed leading the closing reflection at graduation and hearing the variety of impressions each camper was taking away with them, from the excitement of seeing the chemistry lab’s state-of-the-art equipment to insights about financial aid. Although my work typically focuses on supporting individuals after justice-system involvement, this experience highlighted the value of investing in young people early, giving them skills and helping them envision pathways to success.”
Building on the success of its inaugural year, Billiken Breakthrough aims to expand its impact by bringing more students to the Saint Louis University campus and inspiring them to see higher education as a pathway to a future filled with possibility and opportunity.
“As a proud alumna of Saint Louis University, I am committed to ensuring that every prospective student can envision a place for themselves within the SLU community," said Amanda Bequette, Ph.D., executive director of the SLU prison program. "My Jesuit education shaped the way I think about leadership, service, and a responsibility to others. Programs like Billiken Breakthrough provide high school students with the opportunity to experience our lovely campus firsthand, engage with our academic community, and begin to see themselves as future Billikens. Creating these opportunities is an important step in fostering access, belongingness, and educational opportunity for the next generation of students. I'm grateful to my colleagues for leading this initiative at SLU.”
Summer at SLU
Interested in leading a K-12 Summer At SLU camp/academy? Contact Jacob Wierson, director in the office of summer and extended studies, at 314-977-3534 or summer@slu.edu.