Student U

09/16/2026

What does a Community School look like in action?

During the 2025-26 school year at Fayetteville Street Elementary:
📚 265 students received support through Community School initiatives
🥫 1,132 visits were made to the Family Resource Center
🍎 3,480 pounds of food were distributed
🤝 55 students in grades 3-5 were matched with college mentors from North Carolina Central University

These numbers represent more than services delivered. They represent stronger relationships, greater access to resources, and a community working together to help every student thrive.

Explore all the Community Schools impact reports: https://hubs.la/Q04vJks-0

09/14/2026

College move-in day is just the beginning. 🎓 In collaboration with the Emily K Center, our Annual Summer College Retreat brought incoming first-year college students together for a week of preparation, connection, and community.

Through workshops, activities, and peer mentorship, students gained practical tools and honest insight into navigating their first year. Just as importantly, they strengthened the relationships that will continue supporting them throughout the journey ahead.

We cannot wait to see where this next chapter takes them! 💫

09/10/2026

“It really does take a village, and there’s definitely a village for you.”

Recent Riverside High School graduate KaNora Graham joined Student U as a sixth grader. Now, she is heading to Winston-Salem State University on a full-ride scholarship after earning both her high school diploma and an associate degree from Durham Technical Community College.

In a new student profile, KaNora reflects on the friends, teachers, mentors, and family members who helped her thrive. She also shares how Student U connected her with new opportunities, strengthened her confidence, and inspired her decision to study psychology.

Her advice for younger students? Ask for help, embrace every opportunity, and remember that you are never on this journey alone.

Read KaNora’s story, written by Student U Communications Intern Amy Hyde: https://hubs.la/Q04vJ81f0

“It Really Does Take a Village”: Graduate KaNora Graham Reflects on Her Student U Journey Every Student U student has a unique story. Some discover a new passion, some find lifelong friendships, and others gain the confidence to pursue goals they once thought were out of reach. For recent high s...

09/08/2026

Students learn best when they feel known, supported, and challenged - and that belief shaped every part of Summer Academy.

Over five weeks, 391 middle and high school students learned alongside 38 teachers and achieved an average academic growth rate of 22%. Students explored new interests through engineering and cooking, built friendships in clubs, and strengthened their confidence through hands-on learning.

Our impact extended beyond the classroom:
👓 375 vision screenings
👁️ 198 comprehensive eye exams
👓 170 pairs of glasses
🩺 138 sports physicals
🍎 38 summer teachers and five mentor teachers

From joyful classrooms and Morning Joy Lines to free health services and meaningful mentorship, every experience helped students grow academically, build relationships, and recognize that who they are matters.

Thank you to our teachers, partners, families, and supporters for making another incredible summer possible. The relationships built during Summer Academy will continue throughout the school year through academic support, college advising, leadership opportunities, and mentoring.

Read the full Summer Academy 2026 Newsletter by Amy Hyde - https://hubs.la/Q04vJ7qQ0

Summer Academy 2026 Newsletter by Amy Hyde Student U Summer Academy 2026 Spotlight Students learn best when they feel known, supported, and challenged. This summer, students explored new interests through electives like engineering and cooking, built friendships in clubs, and learned alongside teach...

09/04/2026

This year’s Sam Kimberg Award went to someone who has experienced Student U from both sides of the classroom: Ronald Jones Jr., a former Student U student who returned to serve our community as a summer intern. 💛

Presented annually to the community member who brings the most joy to our shared spaces, the award honors the legacy of Sam Kimberg, grandfather of Student U founder Dan Kimberg.

Throughout the summer, Ronald embodied that spirit by spreading joy, empowering others, and helping make Student U a place where everyone could shine. We were proud to present him with Student U’s highest honor!

09/02/2026

Summer Academy ended the best way we know how - by celebrating the brilliance in our community! 🌟

At Brill Bash, students and staff stepped into the spotlight to sing, dance, perform, and share their talents. Their peers filled the room with encouragement, applause, and joy every step of the way.
Because at Student U, brilliance deserves to be celebrated loudly. 🎤👏

08/31/2026

The World Cup came to Summer Academy! ⚽🌎 For Olympic Day, each Student U “family” represented a different country as students took the field for games, team challenges, and plenty of friendly competition.

From cheering on teammates to giving every challenge their all, our students showed what can happen when joy and teamwork share the field. 🏆

08/15/2026

Twenty summers. One unforgettable celebration. 🎂✨

The Student U community showed up to celebrate two decades of students dreaming fearlessly, families believing deeply, educators investing fully, and a community that keeps showing up.

We danced. We ate an impressive amount of hot dogs, pizza, and tacos. We bounced, painted faces, floated bubbles, took some iconic 360 photos, walked through 20 years of memories, and, of course, ate birthday cake. 🎉

But the best part? Seeing students, families, alumni, teachers, supporters, and community partners all in one place. That’s what 20 years of Student U looks like.

Whether you celebrated with us at The W.G. Pearson Center or have supported Student U in one of a hundred other ways over the years, you are part of this story.

Thank you for 20 incredible summers, Durham. 💛 Here’s to the next 20. 🎓✨

08/14/2026

D.C. was giving big dreams, big adventures, and even bigger gift shop hauls! 🏛️🛍️ Some of our rising seniors hit the road in June for their Big Trip to Washington, D.C. They toured Howard University and the U.S. Capitol, explored museums and monuments along the National Mall, visited the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, and fueled up with ramen and soup dumplings in Chinatown. Thank you to our adult leaders on this trip who equally inspired and wrangled on this adventure.

08/12/2026

Valedictorian today. Tar Heel tomorrow. 🐏🎓 Rosa Gonzalez Granados has balanced academics, soccer, college applications, and plenty of big dreams. Through it all, Student U stayed connected, offering encouragement and support that worked with her busy life.
Now, Rosa is headed to UNC-Chapel Hill to study Business Administration and explore sports management. Read how her family, friends, and Student U community helped her find her place and prepare for what comes next.

https://hubs.la/Q04qG5QG0

Thank you to Communications Intern Amy Hyde for writing this story!

Finding Her Place: Rosa Gonzalez Granados Reflects on Her Student U Journey For high school graduate Rosa Gonzalez Granados, Student U has never been defined by how often she has walked through the doors of the W.G. Pearson Center. Instead, it was the people who consistently checked in and adapted t...