As I have watched the news about the separation of families at the border, I can't help but think that this is a story that could have been my own. My parents both came to the United States as teenagers. My mom left El Salvador when she was 15 for the same reason most immigrants come to the United States—the American dream.

John Gomperts, president & CEO of America’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth, has issued the following statement in response to the forced separation of children and parents at the U.S. border

As students across the country have graduated from high school, we know that the transition into the “real world” can be a challenge. Here are 10 tips that will help make the transition a little easier.

I was diagnosed during my sophomore year of high school with dyscalculia, a disorder that prohibits those who have it from understanding arithmetic. The discovery of my disability was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because I finally knew why I never matched up with my peers in math classes. A curse, because my high school is focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

In January 2018, City Year Senior Vice President of Team Leadership Stephen Spaloss was invited to speak at a Mental Health in Schools conference of social workers, guidance counselors and teachers or

To make matters worse, coaches and peers encouraged me to continue playing sports because it could pay for my education. So I spent countless hours and days training and practicing in different sports, hoping to land an athletic scholarship…which took away from any participation in extracurricular activities and volunteering experience that aligns with my current career aspirations.

When America’s Promise talks about pathways, we’re often talking about the experiences, programs, or initiatives that help prepare young people for life after high school—often while they’re still in it. Since pathways are a key part of our GradNation Action Platform, and because it’s a term we use quite a lot, we think it’s worth exploring a little more.

I’ve spent the last 40 years watching the state I love divest in its future. The cuts to education budgets just kept coming.

In response to the passing of Former First Lady Barbara Bush, John Gomperts, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance released the following statement: “Yesterday, America lost a true champion

Adults often complain that kids today don't respect their elders. But what happens when it's the other way around? What if young people are the ones who are not getting the respect and dignity they need to be successful in school and life?

In September 2017, the GradNation campaign released the Acceleration Grant opportunity to fund state- and community-level proposals poised to graduate students who are currently less likely to graduate from high school. Out of 106 applications, we were encouraged to see that communities and states are using these four factors to inform their work.

It’s a common, easy thing to dismiss young people who demand a better world than the one they were born into as arrogant, spoiled, and even naïve. Yet the Parkland students and too many other young people like them have survived extreme trauma and emerged braver, wiser, and more mature than anyone should have to be at their age. That does make them entitled—to share their story, get an education without fearing for their lives, and, one would hope, have adults listen.