In our next installment of “My Breakthrough Why,” we spoke with Breakthrough Minneapolis Executive Director Tricia Crossman.

“Before applying for the open executive director position, I had not heard of Breakthrough Collaborative or The Blake School, and I didn’t live in Minnesota. As I read the position description, it checked important boxes for me. It would allow me to move closer to family—check. It was a program that worked with kids who are often unable to access the resources necessary to reach their full potential—check. It would allow me to bring my experience in strategy and program development while still being close to the work given the program’s small size—check, check. And so I applied.

Little did I know how amazing a community I would be entering by accepting the position in June 2020. My first year was an atypical one filled with virtual learning, remote work and lots of adapting on the fly. Even with those challenges, I could see the magic that was Breakthrough—the masterful way it creates a community of belonging; the expert way it weaves social-emotional and academic learning together seamlessly; the beautiful way it instills in young people the confidence to do big things. I still remember a seventh grader who came up to me during Breakthrough Minneapolis’ Summer Celebration after my first full year. He confidently approached me and said ‘this program is amazing. I have never experienced anything like this before. You all are doing it right.’ As someone who has worked in youth development and education for over 30 years, I can say with confidence that I agree with him—Breakthrough Minneapolis is special, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be part of it.”