Passport students from Eastie visit Lesley

Boston is an academic and economic hub: a destination for students from around the world.

Yet Boston youth, who could be first in their families to graduate college, are too often not accessing these same opportunities.

Boston HERC is changing that. Passport students are on a journey to Destination. . . Greatness!


What We Do

Equip first-generation-to-college high school students with the resources, connections, and skills they need to get in and stick through college, and launch careers

What You Can Do

Join the HERC Village

Make a Donation to support our students

Get Involved

Volunteer with the Passport Program!

Join the Passport Program

Interested students and families are encouraged to apply!

Learn More

Read about our impact and subscribe to our e-newsletter!

Stay Connected on Social Media

Starting off the new year with good news! We have officially been named a 2024 Chick-Fil-A True Inspiration Awards grant recipient! Chick-fil-A Dedham, we can’t wait to use this funding to further our work serving first-generation students in our community. Thank you. ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy New Year to all of Boston HERC’s supporters! We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with each of our first-generation young people, including those like Javier Suarez, who continue to give back years later. Our recent year end celebration was at Doña Habana. Thank you Nivia and Hector for generously gifting us a celebration once again. For those who couldn’t join us, here is a bit of what Javier shared that evening. Cheers to a New Year ahead of serving many more first-generation students together! ... See MoreSee Less
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We are so grateful for Boston HERC’s supporters. A very generous Boston HERC philanthropic partner will match all gifts up to $20,000 before the end of the year. Together, we will raise $40,000 to continue supporting our first-generation students.You can donate at www.bostonherc.org/donate. (Pictured are some Passport students from Margarita Muñiz Academy with their Coach Michael visiting RCC—one of many, many college visits that our students are attending this Fall.) ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you volunteers! 250+ care packages going out to Boston HERC students ... See MoreSee Less
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Congratulations to East Boston High School on winning EdVestors School on the Move Prize. You deserve it! It is an honor and a joy to partner with this school community and we were so thrilled to be present to celebrate with you. ... See MoreSee Less
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Vote for The Boston HERC for the True Inspiration Award! Thank you to Chick-Fil-A for this amazing opportunity and for supporting us! ... See MoreSee Less
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We are so proud of all of our passport alums, achieving their college and career goals! Here are some tips for all of our students heading to college this week! We wish you the best!Boston HERC Team ... See MoreSee Less
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Do you know a student entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who wants to go to college? Now's the time to apply for the Passport Program for this coming school year.Seniors (Class of 2024) meet Tuesdays, 4:30pm-6:30pmJuniors (Class of 2025) meet Wednesdays, 4pm-6pmSophomores (Class of 2026) meet Thursdays, 4-6pm***NEW** Revere High School Seniors meeting at RHS afterschool- day & time to be announced. ... See MoreSee Less
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We are thrilled to announce that we are finalists for Chick-Fil-A's 2024 True Inspiration Award. ThankChick-fil-A Dedhamedham for nominating us! Starting on September 1, you can vote for us to win the competition to receive grant funds to support programming for our first-generation students. Stay tuned for more details soon! As a finalist, we will receiving a grant of at least $30K. ... See MoreSee Less
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Summer experiences continue for Boston HERC students! Thank you to New Balance for the tour and for giving our students a peek into business careers. The Entrepreneurship cohort finished off programming this past week with a Shark Tank competition. Congratulations to rising 8th grader Meliyah Telisnor, who won the competition with her business proposal to market Poppy Tubes, fidget toys designed to help kids with ADHD in school settings. ... See MoreSee Less
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