“ Piro Program
Piro Program
Empowered Students, Transformed Lives by Clarissa Mendiola
SHC’s Piro Program celebrates its 10th anniversary this year—a remarkable milestone in the program’s history. The Piro Program provides a Lasallian and Vincentian education to students in need, and aims to end the cycle of poverty one family at a time. Through significant tuition assistance and tremendous academic and personal support, Piro Scholars change the trajectory of their lives.
SHC
’s Piro Program pays tribute to its namesake, Sister Teresa Piro, DC, for her lifelong commitment to serving the vulnerable and the poor. As a Daughter of Charity, Sister Teresa Piro’s work honored the charism of
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Summer 2014
our Holy Founders, and ultimately, the Piro Program does the same. The program simultaneously draws inspiration from the great work of St. John Baptist de La Salle, who dedicated his life to the education of the impoverished and neglected. Piro Scholars hail from some of the
most marginalized communities in San counselors Francisco, and like fulfill the many low-income roles of big families, the odds are stacked against them. According to brother and the National Center sister for for Education all of our Statistics, lowincome students scholars drop out of high school at a rate five by making times greater than their higher income themselves counterparts. It available is a disparity that negatively impacts every single nearly every aspect day.” of life as these students enter adulthood. In 2004, SHC welcomed 13 Piro Scholars into its inaugural class. Today, the program includes more than 80 students who are mentored by Director of Student Support Angel-Max Guerrero, and counselors Rafael Ayala and Amber Wilson. “Our Lasallian and Vincentian mission is really embodied in Piro Program counselors. Their support isn’t confined to their offices. They fulfill the roles of big brother and sister for all of our scholars by making themselves available every single day.” Guerrero emphasizes the value of a student-centered program model that allows for this level of supportive presence. “It’s important that our students experience a living relationship with us. They can count on us to be there for them.” SHC’s 2014 graduating class included 18 Piro Scholars, 16 of which garnered acceptances to four-year universities, and two are slated to attend local community colleges in