Emily Dickenson said these words, and that is our mission to give at-risk youth hope by enabling them to receive their high school diploma against odds that are stacked against them.  

This marks our 25th year in existence. We were founded by the leadership of Simon Property Group and by a few school districts that wanted to give kids a pathway to success by using SPG’s malls as our lab.

Today, after 25 years, we have over 28,000 graduates and thirty two Academies in fifteen states.

As of this writing, we have given away over $21.1 million in scholarship money for our students to pursue post-secondary education in all fields.

Our partnerships with local public-school districts have been a hallmark of our success and we thank the twenty-nine school districts who have taken a chance with us.

We thank all the Simon Property Group executives and their employees for their support of our schools, both inside and outside the malls. Their support has been invaluable.

I think when you read the report you will see how far we have come.

My thanks also go to our Founders, our Board, those who have donated over the years, and the current and former employees of SYF for their constant focus on our mission.

As we start our 25th year, we realize that our efforts are needed more than ever with the Pandemic isolation and online learning students are even more desperate for education and purpose.

We take an oath to increase mentorship opportunities, secondary learning through our scholarships, and to open more schools to help them navigate the years ahead.