The 2019-2020 Annual Report

Letter from the Executive Director

Dear Friends,

I am incredibly honored to have joined the Ann Richards School Foundation community this past year. It has been inspiring to work with you – our donors, partners, and champions – to ensure our young women reach their full potential.

While Covid-19 challenged all of us, the bulk of the 2019-20 school year was full of the highlights, experiences, and sisterhood of a typical school year, including:

– Welcoming over 100 college representatives from across the country to meet with our Stars at the annual Ann Richards School College Fair.

– STEM-based curriculum projects like the Austin Zoo animal enrichment device, Code for the Cure with Susan G. Komen, and the YWPN STEM Challenge.

– Alumnae Day with over 50 graduates sharing advice about pursuing higher education to their younger Ann Richards School sisters.

– Junior Internship Week with students interning at 31 business sites all across Austin.

In March, when the school shut down and quickly converted to virtual learning, our Ann Richards School Stars continued to strive for big things and proved more resilient than ever.

Seventh-grader Emma T. applied the sewing skills that she learned in STEM class to make masks for her community. A group of seniors started Starlight News, a weekly YouTube broadcast to share and connect with the Ann Richards community from home. All 106 graduates from the Class of 2020 were accepted to a four-year college with 605 unique offers of admission.

With you, we advance education and empower young women from all across Austin. We ensure our students have the confidence and skills to apply, attend, and graduate from college. We continued the legacy of Ann Richards – creating opportunities for our Stars by educating and encouraging them to become leaders in their community.

We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of our donors and partners who have impacted our girls – even in challenging times.

With sincere gratitude,