Senior year of high school comes with high-stakes stress, and Deonna Brown was feeling it when the 2024-25 school year began. The 18-year-old at Roxborough’s Saul High School knew she wanted to attend a four-year but didn’t know which one, what she’d study, or how she’d finance it.

On the first day of school, Brown went to the school’s PLUS Center, an open-to-all and judgement-free space operated by 12+, an education equity nonprofit that strives to help every student at its participating schools prepare for life after graduation. The organization’s staff helped her choose which schools to apply to, supported her when she tackled the daunting Free Application for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA), and alleviated her worries.

With that help, Brown worked out a funding plan, a combination of grants, scholarships and family aid. In the fall, she’ll be a freshman at Eastern Carolina University, studying Architectural Design Technology.

“This is just a comfortable place. You can come here to chill or for lunch or to get help. They always let us know that they’re here for us,” Brown says. “And I know that even when I go to college, they’ll be here for me, too.”

Says Eleanor Baude, the PLUS Center Site Director, “I always say that if September Deonna could see June Dreonna, she wouldn’t believe it.”

12+ has a simple goal: Ensure every senior in one of its partner high schools has a post-graduation plan. That can be anything from attending a two- or four-year college or trade school to seeking an apprenticeship or joining the military.

During the 2023-24 academic year, 12+ worked with an estimated 4,800 students. Ninety percent of those seniors worked with 12+ on a “dedicated post-secondary pathway” before receiving their diplomas, the nonprofit says.

“One of the most important parts of our work is that we’re there every single day, Monday through Friday, from the beginning of the school day ‘til hours after it ends,” says Raymond John, the organization’s CEO and co-founder. “Our goal is always to be really present and embedded within the schools we’re partnered with.”

How 12+ works in schools

Students at 12+ partner schools don’t need to apply for services. “It’s really powerful when you have a non-evaluative relationship with a student,” says 12+ Development Director Erin Agnew. “You can truly be a resource and not someone who is grading or assessing them.”

At Saul, where Brown is one of 108 seniors, Baude says her team has worked hand in hand with 105 as they plotted their future courses. (While staffers also spoke to the other three students, 12+ was not their primary planning resource, Baude says, noting, “We worked with every senior, but some needed us more than others.”)

Saul Principal San Howell is one of 12+’s biggest fans. He appreciates how the nonprofit embeds itself into a school culture, forming relationships with teachers and visiting classrooms, as well as its time commitment and expertise about not only post-secondary education but also technical schools and trade programs. He likes that the organization ensures that there’s a touch point with every single kid and makes connections look effortless — although he knows the time and planning that goes into developing systems and procedures.

“There’s no luck or randomness. Everything is systematic and pragmatic and just effective. I see such a difference [in student’s behavior and outlook],” Howell says. “It’s a better bang for your buck than any other program. I know that every kid is getting more access and support and exposure to what’s out there.

“It’s just amazing, all they do. They make all of the kids feel special.”

How 12+ started — and is going

John and his three co-founders launched 12+ in 2010 with the goal of creating a “college-going culture” in underserved Philadelphia high schools. The nonprofit had nine volunteers when it partnered with its first school, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, in 2012. Its offerings, then targeted at high school seniors, included SAT and ACT prep classes, mentoring and college readiness counseling.

After a few years, the organization realized that it needed to expand its mission. It now works with students in every grade and college is one of multiple post-graduation options.

“That’s us listening to our communities, understanding that we need to take note of shifting landscapes around higher education and the opportunities that are available to our students … that really set them off towards upward mobility,” John says. “Our message has broadened as long as it’s a high-quality path that sets students up for a more promising future.”

The organization has been steadily growing: They now have 39 employees and partnerships with eight Philadelphia and four Camden high schools and are expanding at a rate of two new schools each year, with more than double that number of schools annually expressing interest in partnerships.

“We grow where we are wanted,” Agnew says. “In terms of how we refine and build out programming, we grow where students have demonstrated need or sometimes literally told us they needed the most support.”

A point of pride for 12+ is that it’s never left a partner school. It also strives to stay connected with its alumni.

“We understood from the very beginning that starting college was just the beginning,” John says. “It wasn’t the finish line.”

Sierra Serna recently began coordinating and expanding 12+’s alumni program. Former students often contact the organization two, three, even five years after graduating high school. Many of 12+’s college-bound students are the first in their families to seek a secondary degree, and newer 12+ participants appreciate insight from someone who’s gone before them, Serna says.

“They know they can come to 12+ because of the care and trust our site teams build day in and day out at the PLUS Centers,” says Serna, who was Kensington High School’s site director for three years. “This is a community we’re building and being part of [an alum’s] journey after they leave high school is important. It helps get others there.”

Yasmine Smith, a rising sophomore at Arcadia University, met Serna three years ago when Serna worked at Kensington High. While in high school, Smith says she felt the 12+ team was on her side when others were not. “They actually really show that they care about you and they want you to succeed in life and whatever you want to do,” Smith says.

Smith is a planner by nature, but she entered her senior year of high school unsure of her direction. Serna helped her choose colleges to apply to and to decide on a major: International Business. She also helped with the intimidating financial aid forms and helped apply for all available financial help.

Years later, Smith turns to Serna when she has a question. Any question, not just those related to school.

“I ask her about literally everything,” Smith says. “Sierra is my number one resource.”

Inside a PLUS Center

Participating schools provide their own dedicated, unique space for each PLUS Center. Each reflects its individual school’s culture.

But there is one constant in every center: The Senior Wall, which displays the name and photo of every senior. As students achieve certain future-thinking milestones, they’re given a sticker for their photo to show others what work they’ve done.

“The wall is meant to be a symbol of our approach, which is to support every single student and meet them where they are and to ensure whatever goals they have in mind post-high school are valued equally,” John says. “We want to make sure we’re celebrating that and supporting you every step of the way.”

The PLUS Center at Saul occupies the school’s former library, which is roughly equivalent to two-and-a-half standard classrooms. It’s meant to be “colorful, bright, friendly, cozy,” Baude says. “We want students to feel really relaxed when they come in here, because we’re often talking about pretty stressful things.”

Saul’s PLUS Center’s walls are lined with shelves that hold the books teachers assign during the academic year. It has two couches, a few bean bag-like chairs, and about 10 tables with wipeable white board tops sprinkled throughout the space. Students can enjoy water, coffee or tea while visiting, as well as snacks. (“We had hot chocolate over the winter and it was a great way to get younger students in,” Baude says.)

Baude is in the PLUS Center every school day, often with Aissi Diallo and Matthew Sbraccia, two college graduates who are part of the 12+ fellowship program. The door to the PLUS Center is always unlocked: Students can drop in during their study halls, when they have free time and during their lunch hour. (During class time, students need their teachers’ permission to visit the space.)

On a busy day, as many as 30 students fill the room at one time. Some are seeking advice from the three 12+ staffers. Others are doing homework or eating or listening to music or talking to friends or playing board games.

The PLUS Center this year hosted resume workshops, how-to sessions on subjects including social media and “elevator pitches,” and a legendary Halloween party. The PLUS team organized a career fair with employers that offered internships and work. They helped students fill out college applications and edit essays. They talked about professional work clothes and practiced mock interviews. They brought in a U.S. Marines Gunnery Sergeant to talk about what a military career could offer.

Some students, like Brown, came in knowing they wanted to follow a certain path, but were unsure how to do so. Others just didn’t know what to do.

But they did know where to go for help.

A place to start

“So many students didn’t realize that college would be available to them,” Baude says. “A good number weren’t able to connect their interests to possible jobs. They didn’t even know where to start.”

12+ staffers aren’t trained counselors, although they sometimes perform tasks usually associated with in-school guidance counselors.

“We’re not authority figures and that’s worked to our advantage. Students are willing to be more open with us,” Baude says.

Before joining 12+ this Fall, Baude was an English teacher for three years who also advised students. She found she really enjoyed helping seniors with college and career access work so she looked for the opportunity to do that full-time.

“It’s a different relationship than teaching … I feel very close to them and really invested in them,” Baude says. “There’s something about helping students, dreaming with them and mapping out what the next five to 10 years of their lives could look like, and helping in just really tangible ways, that’s deeply satisfying.”

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