Honoring Our Founders and "Keep the Flame Alive"
Come together to honor the visionaries who blazed the trail—Dr. H. Dalton Conner, Steven Mullens, and Rick Price—help us raise funds to sustain their enduring flame and support the growth of our organization, enabling us to help more students scale their own peaks. Or as the founders would say "to stop talent from being wasted."
Help us get the word out!
Fireside Story from Vennita
Let me share the story of one of our students’, Alejandra.
Her story truly captures the essence of what we do.
Alejandra came from a single parent background. She was in low-income housing with her family and through the years also faced homelessness. Despite her circumstances, she had dreams—big dreams. Through determination and support from Peak Education, Alejandra was high school valedictorian, earned a full ride to college, went back to get two Masters in Global Studies and Sociology, and is currently on her way to obtaining a Ph.D.
On the day I drove her to campus, she arrived in a tiny Honda Civic, packed to the brim. After settling her into her dorm, she took me out to lunch and said, “Ms. Vennita, for everything you’ve ever done for me, I just want to treat you.” It was a moment of pure joy, realizing the love and guidance we had poured into her had come full circle.
As I got ready to leave, she ran over and asked me to call her when I reached the city limits, just as I had done for her countless times. In that moment, I knew we had made a real difference in her life. She was honoring her Peak Education contract and giving back.
This is what we strive for every day at Peak Education—ensuring that every student feels supported and empowered, changing the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their families. Every one of them is a future leader, a future homeowner, and a future taxpayer. They have the potential to positively transform our community, but they need our help to get there.
A Heartfelt Message from Alejandra
I never had the chance to be a teen. From the time I turned 14, I started working and focused on my academics. I knew the only way I was going to get out of the life I was predestined to live, was by getting good grades and a full-ride scholarship.
During my years in D2, there was a constant turnover. This made it hard to connect with teachers. I joined Peak Education when I was eleven years old. It started with little talks about good habits, finances, and eventually morphed into college how-to’s and physical steps I could take to get to where I wanted to get. Our monthly meetings exposed me to things I had no chance of being exposed to at home.Through the years Vennita was a constant. She always went above and beyond. Whenever I needed something, she was there for me.
That day, apart from driving me and moving my stuff in, Vennita talked to me, gave me advice, and listened to the uncertainty I was feeling. What I remember the most about that day is her excitement. It was loud, it was powerful, and it gave me so much strength to deal with my emotions. The entire time, from when she picked me up, she was beaming!
These things might not seem like much to a person of a typical household, but for me it meant everything and for that I will always be thankful to Peak Education for bringing her into my life. They gave me hope for a better future, a future that I am currently living.
I look forward to paying it forward.
Help us get the word out!