Make a Difference
When you make a gift to Preuss, you help shape our students and our world. That’s because Preuss does more than prepare economically disadvantaged students for higher education. It provides them with the skills necessary to effect change in a society and help transform communities in San Diego and throughout the world.
Read some of our students’ stories and see for yourself.
Amanda’s Story
Amanda came from Costa Rica to the United States with her mother when she was three years old. Despite the challenges, she made the difficult transition to life in a new country and worked hard to pursue her dream of graduating from college. After graduating from Preuss and receiving her undergraduate degree at UC San Diego, Amanda completed her masters in marriage and family therapy at the University of San Diego. Now, she is working as a counselor with a program called Breaking Cycles, which helps prevent escalating juvenile delinquency by providing services to youth on probation in San Diego County.
James’ Story
While at Preuss, James participated in Robotics, the National Honor Society, and completed summer internships at Qualcomm. His experience served him well, as he is now heavily involved in research and teaching at MIT. He is MIT’s “Texas Instruments Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scholar,” a fellowship that supports his research on translating mathematical work into a bedside medical device that can be deployed in hospitals in the future.
Alexander’s Story
Alexander now attends Harvard University. He is the first of his family to be born in America, following the emigration of his parents from Eritrea, which has been ravaged by war for many years. While at Preuss, Alexander undertook independent research at the Sanford-Burnham Research Institute and, after college, plans to go on to medical school. His vision is to work with Doctors Without Borders in Eritrea to help establish a modern system of healthcare there.
Monika’s Story
After Preuss, Monika graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California with a Discovery Scholar distinction for academic excellence and original research; Order of Troy, for exceptional leadership and community service; and Phi Kappa honors, awarded to the top four pieces of original scholarship by undergraduates and graduates. While at USC, she worked under Dr. Manuel Pastor for the Joint Educational Project and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity.
She is currently enrolled at the UC Berkeley School of Law.
Jesse’s Story
The son of immigrant field laborers, Jesse, woke every day for four years at 6:00 a.m. to travel from his home in San Ysidro to The Preuss School. A member of The Preuss School’s first graduating class, he went on to earn a college degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2008 and worked for a management consulting firm and PepsiCo in New York City before moving to Dallas to work with PepsiCo's Frito Lay division.