In Santa Ana, California this June, ten high school graduates opened acceptance letters from colleges across the state—and with them came something more than just a path to higher education: a $3,000 scholarship from Think Together, a nonprofit that has spent over 25 years betting on young people's potential to transform their own futures.
These aren't random recipients. Each of the ten scholarship winners has demonstrated what Think Together calls "exceptional growth, resilience, and commitment to their education" through years of participation in the organization's high school programs. They come from diverse corners of California—from Discovery Charter Preparatory School in Sylmar to schools within Basset Unified and Hemet Unified school districts—yet share something in common: they've spent multiple years building skills, discovering passions, and preparing for life beyond graduation through Think Together's offerings.
The Beyond Think Together Scholarship, now in its second year, represents more than a financial award. It's recognition of a specific kind of transformation. In 2025 alone, Think Together served more than 9,000 high school students across 32 school sites throughout California, offering programs designed to address a gap that traditional classrooms sometimes miss. Through driver education, financial literacy courses, and the Workforce Readiness Education Program (WREP), students gain practical, hands-on experience rather than abstract knowledge. These are the skills that bridge the gap between classroom and real life—how to manage money, how to navigate a career search, how to prepare for the independence of adulthood.
Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth framed the scholarship announcement with quiet pride: "We have the privilege of watching students grow into confident, capable young leaders as they pursue their dreams and prepare for what comes next." That observation captures something essential about the organization's approach. This isn't about fixing students who are somehow broken. It's about recognizing potential and providing the consistent support and opportunity to help students build their own pathways forward.
What's striking about Think Together's work is how thoroughly it has woven partnership into the fabric of its mission. Boeing supports STEM learning opportunities. Southwest Airlines funds college visit awards that help students envision their futures. State Farm provides driver's education courses. The K12 Foothill Consortium creates Career Technical Education pathways. These partnerships aren't incidental—they're the backbone of how Think Together connects students with real-world experience and genuine pathways into careers and higher education.
The impact shows in the numbers. Among Think Together high school students, 94 percent report awareness of different career options, and 95 percent say they feel a sense of belonging in their program community. These figures matter because they point to something beyond academic achievement: they suggest students who have developed both direction and connection, who know where they might go and feel supported in getting there.
For the ten scholarship recipients, the $3,000 award represents practical support as they transition into college. But for Think Together, celebrating these graduates represents something deeper—validation that consistent mentorship, hands-on programming, and genuine partnerships with students can create the conditions for young people to discover their own capabilities and chart their own courses. As these ten students step into college and beyond, they carry with them not just a scholarship, but the foundation of confidence and skill that Think Together helped them build.