BUILD

Suzanne McKechnie Klahr. Suzanne McKechnie Klahr founded BUILD in 1999 with a public service fellowship from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Under Suzanne's leadership, BUILD has grown from an initial four students to serve more than six hundred students from twelve partner public high schools. BUILD currently operates two San Francisco Bay Area sites, one site in Washington, DC, and has plans… See full bio.

Dec 20, 2010

We’re thrilled by the increasing demand from students and high schools who want a BUILD program on their campus. Headquartered in Redwood City, we currently serve 700 high school students at programs located in East Palo Alto and Oakland, CA;… Read More.

Story: Learn about the story of Jahvita: “A girl from the ghetto could go to college”: I felt surrounded by love until the day my father disappeared. When he left, I was attending a private school on a full scholarship; the only black student out of 250 kids. I turned to my friends for support, but there were obstacles there too. During this difficult year, one of my best friends told me I was not allowed to sleepover because her parents said I was from East Palo Alto and I could be a bad influence. I thought to myself, “How could that be true, since she was the wild girl and I was never a troublemaker?” I decided in that moment to prove them wrong. I would show them that a girl from the ghetto could go to college and be successful. My freshman year I joined BUILD, an organization for young entrepreneurs in under-developed communities like East Palo Alto. In BUILD I learned all aspects of business and wrote a 30-page business plan that I presented in front of 300 people at Stanford Business School. My team’s business plan won first place. I glowed with confidence. In my role as COO of my company, I was a professional and earned respect. But outside the office, another reality existed. My peers were often in conflict with one another, not wanting others to succeed or even dream of reaching higher goals. That same year I saw my friend murdered and the chilling feeling still haunts me. In my life outside BUILD I became angry, scared, and unfocused. My grades suffered, and at the end of the year I realized how bad things had gotten. This year I'm working hard and have the grades that go with it. Another close friend died last month, and I had the feeling that he was looking for a way out. I realize that my way out is college, and I’m working as hard as I can to make that happen and to be an inspiration to others in my community. (Read other BUILD student stories at: http://www.build.org/browse/student-success-stories)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

BUILD has an established record of helping at risk, South Bay students graduate high school and attend college by encouraging entrepreneurship. BUILD works to engage students who may be disconnected from their academic life by providing them with an opportunity to build real-world skills and develop interests relevant to their lives. Essentially, their model engages youth and simultaneously provides a structure for them to re-engage with their studies and become college eligible. 100% of their participants have finished high school and gone on to college. By writing business plans, BUILD has helped students develop both classroom and life skills.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Experts frequently praise the BUILD leadership, growth model and program design. Others note strong partnerships and a willingness to serve the most in-need students through their programs.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

While complimentary of BUILD's success in the South Bay, experts generally believe the organization could do a better job expanding and growing its brand in other areas.
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Suzanne McKechnie Klahr founded BUILD in 1999 with a public service fellowship from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Under Suzanne's leadership, BUILD has grown from an initial four students to serve more than six hundred students from twelve partner public high schools. BUILD currently operates two San Francisco Bay Area sites, one site in Washington, DC, and has plans for national expansion. BUILD maintains an incredible track record with 100 percent of its seniors having applied to and gone onto college. For her accomplishments with BUILD, Suzanne has received numerous awards and been asked to speak nationally on such topics as education, social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, new models of providing legal services to the poor, and poverty alleviation strategies. In 2006 she was inducted as a lifetime member of Ashoka, a global fellowship of leading social entrepreneurs. In 2007, she was honored by CBS's Jefferson Award on television, on radio, and in print. In 2008, Suzanne was elected to the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame and in 2009, she was named as one of Silicon Valley’s Most Influential Women by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Times. Suzanne serves as a trustee of the Skadden Fellowship Foundation and as a board member of the Bay Area Community Equity Fund, the Glow Scholarship Foundation, and is an Honorary Board Member of the Until There's A Cure Foundation. For the past six years, she has served as faculty adjunct at Stanford Law School teaching "Social Entrepreneurship," the first class of its kind at a Law School in the United States. She earned a dual degree from Brown University and a JD from Stanford Law School, and she has successfully completed the Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program in Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management.

Dec 20, 2010

We’re thrilled by the increasing demand from students and high schools who want a BUILD program on their campus. Headquartered in Redwood City, we currently serve 700 high school students at programs located in East Palo Alto and Oakland, CA; Washington DC; and a new site will be launched in Boston, MA. We offer an effective program that is targeted at disengaged students who teachers and counselors believe are likely to drop out of school. Our students develop their own business ideas, write business plans, pitch to funders, and launch real businesses. This real-world business experience makes school relevant and motivates them to succeed. To help them become college-eligible, students also receive individualized academic support and advising for their school-work and college planning. We’re happy to report that in spring 2010, 100% of our seniors were accepted to college with 91% being accepted to a 4-year college or university. For more information see: www.build.org.