The Sweetwater Union High School District has hired the first R.I.S.E. Program graduate, marking a momentous achievement in the district’s mission to provide students with a seamless pathway from high school to a professional career.

Stephanie Balvaneda is the first SUHSD graduate hired under the RISE Program, a professional education program led by the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) and San Diego State University’s College of Education.

The RISE program, which stands for Return and Inspire to become a Sweetwater Educator, is an extension of Compact for Success, which offers Sweetwater students guaranteed admission into SDSU if they meet certain academic requirements during their middle school and high school careers.

Once a student has successfully graduated from a Sweetwater school and been accepted to SDSU as a Compact Scholar, they have the option to pursue a career in teaching as a RISE Program member, which guarantees employment in the Sweetwater district for newly certified educators in math, science, special education and other hard-to-fill positions.    

Since the program’s launch over 18 years ago, Compact for Success has increased the number of SUHSD graduates who qualify for admission to San Diego State University by approximately 580 percent. By hiring Sweetwater graduates, the district aims to inspire more students to pursue a post-secondary education.

The Sweetwater district serves very diverse communities across four South Bay cities and has made it a mission to present students with positive role models who grew up in the same neighborhoods and understand the special obstacles they face as they strive for a brighter future.

RISE Program graduate and new SUHSD faculty member Stephanie Balvaneda is one of many role models students can look up to for inspiration and motivation as they further their education.

About Compact for Success

The Compact Scholars Program is the postsecondary component of the Compact for Success, a partnership between the Sweetwater Union High School District and San Diego State University. The program supports student success by connecting students to the rich resources of the San Diego State campus community. Compact Scholars actively engage in “high impact” educational experiences, most notably study abroad, service-learning, undergraduate research, and leadership development. The goal of the Compact Scholars Program is to deepen student engagement and to promote higher graduation rates for Sweetwater District students.