Mission and Vision

Mission

The Boston Higher Education Resource Center (HERC) functions to equip first-generation youth of color to access and thrive in higher education, to break the cycle of poverty, and to become agents of change in our communities. 

Destination. . .Greatness

Passport is about far more than just helping students check off boxes in the college admissions process. It is rooted in the belief that there is Greatness in each Passport student we serve. Passport connects these first-generation students of color to first-generation Passport Coaches to awaken passion and purpose, to imagine how they may be game changers in their families and communities, and to map out a plan to reach those goals.

Closing the Opportunity Gap

If there is any community poised to close the Opportunity and Achievement Gap, it is Boston. Doing so requires “re-wiring” the minds of Boston Public School first-generation students and preparing them to lead in the competitive economy that is already shaping Boston’s future.  

The Boston HERC is currently in a scale up to bring Passport to the classrooms of 1,200 first-generation youth, in as many as 15 non-exam Boston public high schools, deepening our capacity to serve these students beyond their graduation from high school into college and on to sustainable, 21st-Century careers.