Breakthrough at Kent Denver

Welcome to Breakthrough Summer 2026! We’re so excited to get started. Click the link in our bio for volunteer opportunities this summer.

Today, we honor Juneteenth — a celebration of freedom, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of opportunity for all. At Breakthrough Denver, we believe education opens doors and creates pathways for young people to lead, succeed, and strengthen their communities. As we reflect on this important day, we recommit ourselves to supporting students and developing the next generation of educators and leaders.

Happy Juneteenth.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Wednesday morning for the Breakthrough Denver Breakfast. We’re incredibly grateful to the students, families, alumni, Teaching Fellows, educators, donors, and community partners who came together to celebrate the power of opportunity, strong teaching, and long-term support for young people across Denver.

A special thank you to our inspiring speakers, Emmanuel and Sadia, for sharing their stories and reminding us what’s possible when students and aspiring educators are given the space to grow, lead, and thrive.

We’re also deeply appreciative of our resilient sponsors, Source Rock and SM Energy, whose partnership helps make this work possible and strengthens our ability to continue investing in students and future educators across our community.

If you still want to be a part of our impact, click the link in our bio to give today.

With less than a week to go, we’re excited to welcome our community to the first-ever Breakthrough Denver Breakfast.

Join us on Wednesday, May 20 for a morning celebrating students, Teaching Fellows, and the collective impact of the Breakthrough community. Guests will hear directly from students, learn more about Breakthrough’s work across middle school, high school, and postsecondary pathways, and help invest in the next generation of leaders, professionals, and educators.

📍 Schaden Dining Hall at Kent Denver School
⏰ Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. | Program begins at 8:15 a.m.

If you’ve been planning to attend, now is the time to reserve your spot!

Every summer, Breakthrough Denver students spend nine weeks in academically rigorous, relationship-driven programming alongside Teaching Fellows who are learning how to lead classrooms in real time. For some, those summers become much more than a program — they become the starting point for an entirely different future.

For Teaching Fellow alumna Brittaney Robinson-Whitenhill, what began as an introduction to teaching through Breakthrough eventually grew into a career in education and later, the founding of a school of her own. It’s the kind of long-term impact that can emerge when students and aspiring educators are given meaningful responsibility, mentorship, and the space to grow early in their journey.

Today, 82% of Breakthrough Denver Teaching Fellows pursue careers in education, continuing that ripple effect in classrooms and communities across Colorado and beyond. For many alumni, the work that begins at Breakthrough continues long after the summer ends.

This year’s breakfast celebration offers a closer look at how Breakthrough develops both students and future educators through a shared, hands-on experience.

From middle school through high school and into college and career pathways, students are supported through a model that combines strong academics, consistent advising, and meaningful opportunities to lead. At the center of that experience are our Teaching Fellows—growing as educators while helping students build confidence, expand their goals, and take ownership of their future.

Join us on May 20 to experience how this model comes to life and what it makes possible for the students and educators at its core.

Register today!

What began as a student experience became a pathway forward. As an alum and now a future educator, Tierra is applying what she learned in the classroom while developing the skills and perspective to lead in meaningful ways.

This is what defines Breakthrough—a model that supports students over time while inspiring the next generation of educators in the process.

Moments like this create space to recognize the progress students are making, the classrooms our Teaching Fellows are shaping, and the support system behind it all.

This year, we’re coming together for a Breakfast that creates space for reflection and celebration—offering a closer look at how students and Teaching Fellows grow together through academics, mentorship, and leadership development.

Join us on May 20 to be part of a morning that brings our community together around what’s been built—and the work still ahead.