Rotary Club of Del Mar partnering with Nativity Prep Academy

Del Mar Times (May 2021)

Rotary Club of Del Mar members gathered at the Nativity Prep Academy (NPA) for the annual Rotarians at Work Day. Club members joined with Nativity Prep alumni and leadership, Cathedral Catholic High School and University of San Diego students to beautify and organize the new campus near San Diego State University.

Nativity Prep Academy is an independent, tuition-free Catholic school that serves more 200 students every year. All children attending NPA are from income-eligible families and will be first-generation college students. The students undertake an 11-year journey toward fulfilling a long-term goal of earning a degree from a four-year college or university. Simply attending NPA makes it three times more likely a student will graduate from college.

Around 65 students in grades 6-8 study year-round on campus, where they receive intensive instruction in preparation for high school. After graduation, the Graduate Support Program provides one-on-one instruction to about 85 students as they attend high school at public and private schools across San Diego. The Graduate Support Program continues to help about 100 NPA alumni each year navigate the rigors of college life. NPA also forms close relationships with students’ families to help them support their children as they pursue higher education. Over 99% of NPA alumni graduate high school and over 85% study at the college level.

President Gilbert Brady shared that one graduate once described NPA as an Opportunity Factory. “We come from places where opportunities just don’t exist. We know that if we stick around Nativity, we will have so many more opportunities in life.”