STEP College-Prep Program

Student Expedition Program is an unprecedented opportunity for low-income high-school students to forge a pathway of success through higher education for themselves, their families, and their communities. Through a focused 2-year college-preparation program and a life-transforming 3-week wilderness leadership expedition, students gain the confidence, knowledge and leadership skills to succeed in college and beyond. Mission: To equip motivated low-income Arizona students with the knowledge, confidence & leadership skills to obtain a college degree and break the chain of generational poverty. Vision: To equip students with the most critical tool they can possibly have for future success in college and beyond: belief in themselves. Guiding Principles: We seek & support low-income high-school students with high potential who have little or no guidance in preparing for college; are first generation in their family to pursue a college degree; & will make a significant commitment to their studies & to STEP’s College-Prep Program. We expose students to institutions most likely to provide the resources to make the students successful. STEP was founded in 2002 by Dr. Tracy Baynes, who had previously worked as an Instructor with National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Outward Bound, & Semester at Sea. She had a vision to bring these immersion leadership experiences to low-income youth striving to be pioneers in their families & communities. For the past 10 years, STEP has been taking low-income high-school students on a transformational Wilderness Leadership Expedition. In 2011, we added our 2-year College-Preparation Program. High schools with which STEP predominantly works have a median college completion rate of only 8%. Of STEP’s students, 100% have graduated high school, & 87% are in college or have graduated college. Over the past 2 years, 100% of our students have gone directly to college from high school & 100% are currently attending college.