A Conversation with SMART Parent and Board Member: Access, Advocacy, and Affirmation
(Winter 2026) – We spoke with Laticia Erving, a lifelong educator and leader in the San Francisco Unified School District, where she serves as Executive Director of the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative (AAALI). For more than 25 years, she has dedicated her career to advancing equity, strengthening family and community partnerships, and ensuring that San Francisco’s most underserved students not only succeed, but thrive.
Family Craft Night
So much creativity, connection, and joy in one space. Grateful to build community through crafts and games with our Scholars and families!Â
Winter Showcase & Potluck
The Winter Showcase is a special opportunity to celebrate Scholars’ hard work from the semester, while also bringing families together to share a joyful meal. Families were invited to visit each classroom to see what their Scholars have been learning and working on throughout the first semester of SMART’s after-school programming. Here’s some of what they saw:
An Interview with our Executive Director: Teresa Arriaga
(Fall 2025) – We’re excited to be speaking with Teresa Arriaga, who joined SMART this summer as our new Executive Director. Teresa has devoted her career to helping students and families from low-income households reach their potential through education. Teresa’s previous work experience includes launching Coro Northern California’s youth leadership programs and serving at the University of California, Berkeley for a decade, where she led the Early Academic Outreach Program – a systemwide effort that supports first generation middle and high school students in their journey to college. Most recently, Teresa led Springboard Collaborative’s Western region. She earned her M.P.A from San Francisco State University and her B.A. in English and Political Science from Saint Mary’s College of California.
A Scholar’s Path to Lehigh: From the Mission to a Mission
(Summer 2025) – Pedro, a graduating senior from San Francisco University High School, has always charted his own path with resilience, pride, and passion. As a trilingual student fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English—and someone whose first word was “tortilla”—Pedro brings humor and heart to everything he does. This year, guests had the distinct honor of listening to him as SMART’s keynote speaker at our annual fundraising event, sharing his inspiring journey with our community.
SMART GOES TO COLLEGE 2025 PHOTOS
Interview: Counteracting Bias in Student Selection
(Spring 2025) – We’re speaking with Mayra Nayeli MartĂn, SMART’s Senior Director of Programs, and Mary Thomas, SMART’s Senior Director of Training and Evaluation, who will be facilitating a workshop at the upcoming National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) conference. NPEA elevates and amplifies a broad coalition of voices committed to educational access for students from under-resourced communities, kindergarten through college. In 2024, SMART received the national “Excellence in Educational Access” award from NPEA and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, affirming our commitment to ensuring all students, regardless of background, have equitable pathways to college.
Leadership in Action: Scholar’s Vision for a Mission District Youth Council
(Winter 2025) – Adriel, an 11th grade SMART Scholar currently attending the Bay School SF, hopes to pursue a career in business, following in his parents’ footsteps. His parents run a street vending business in the Mission District, selling handmade Ecuadorian jackets, scarves, and other goods. When San Francisco issued a street vendor moratorium, Adriel and his family immediately felt the effects.
SMART Scholar Wins San Francisco’s Youth of the Year Award
