Ruby Atherton always knew she wanted to attend college, but, like many first-generation students who’ve struggled in school, she wasn’t always sure how she would get there.

Next Fall, she’ll be in California at Stanford University.

“I feel like it still hasn’t sunk in,” she said. “Like I didn’t understand [at first], I was kind of shaking, asking ‘What if they made a mistake?’ But they didn’t. Yeah, I was kind of in shock.”

The downtown Colorado Springs teen’s journey to the prestigious school began in the eighth grade when she began working with Peak Education, a nonprofit organization in the Pikes Peak region that provides support and resources for students from low-income families toward successful educational outcomes.

Atherton admits that she struggled with her academics early on in her schooling, falling behind in classes and lacking confidence in herself. Since joining the program, she has led multiple community outreach efforts, participated in mentorship programs and has become known as a local leader to her peers and neighbors.

When she began meeting with Peak Education at North Middle School, she was initially hesitant to buy into all the leadership training that was discussed then.

“It kind of felt useless and I was like ‘Why am I here?’ at the beginning,” she said. “But then, I started to get involved. I figured out that Peak Education was more than leadership activities in the library with other kids that did not want to be there.”

Peak Education provides students opportunities to participate in various programs, volunteerism and college preparation to find their academic and community purpose. Accepted students begin in the eighth grade and continue throughout their high school years. During this time, they participate in student and family activities along with various community service projects while maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher in school.

In Atherton’s case, she has participated in Palmer High School’s Key Club, facilitated restorative justice conversations between high school students and staff, designed parks with fellow seniors and regularly volunteered with organizations like Care and Share outside of the school.

Acknowledging that she used to be “very, very, very shy,” she said that these experiences were key to her developing the communication and leadership skills she has today. She would go on to participate in nationwide programs like the Yale Young Global Scholars and present at a conference for the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Atherton is the program’s first participant in its 25-year history to get earn admission to Stanford as a QuestBridge Scholar, a scholarship that works to connect high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with the most selective and prestigious colleges and universities across the country.

Peak Education’s director of access and success Jasmine Rainey pointed Atherton’s success to both her willingness to learn from feedback and her commitment to go above and beyond the minimum requirements for the organization.

“And to see all that hard work that she’s been doing and putting in pay off in such a substantial way where, now, she has a full ride, it was beyond words. Just indescribable,” Rainey said.

As for her parents, who have no higher education, they were equally happy and proud, albeit with some different factors in mind.

“My parents were super-excited, because I saved them half a million dollars on education,” Atherton said.

Inspired by one of her favorite video games growing up, The Sims, Atherton originally wanted to be an architect from an early age. Through the community work and experience she gained through Peak Education, along with a growing interest in science, technology, engineering and math education this career goal then shifted toward becoming a civil engineer.

Beyond college, she ultimately hopes to improve the infrastructure of low-income communities like the one she grew up in.

“Whether that’s in the form of residential housing or sustainable housing, or it could be improving roads or schools, literally anything that has to do with infrastructure; flood mitigation,” she said.

Peak Education’s work with Atherton isn’t done yet. Like they do with their students during middle school and high school, the organization commits to keeping in touch with all its college students by checking in on their progress through their completion of college.

Rainey noted that, even when their work is done with these young adults, the contact and support never really ends.

“One of our longest-tenured staff members, she’s been with us for 19 years, and she’d tell you that we stay with them forever,” she said. “She’s gone to weddings, baby showers. So, once they’re in, they’re part of our family for the long haul.”

Between now and late September when her first semester begins, Atherton plans to focus on finishing strong at high school before finding a summer job.

When asked if she had any advice for other students who may currently be struggling in school, her answer was simple: get involved early on and don’t be afraid to take on new challenges.

“You should still try, even if you’re scared or even if it may not work out, because you’ll never know what might have happened if you didn’t,” she said. “And you don’t want to live with regrets, you might as well try.”