163 Open Doors: Celebrating the Arete Class of 2026

This school year, 163 young men and women crossed a threshold that will define the rest of their lives. They graduated.

For each of them, that moment represents something different. For some, it is the fulfillment of a dream they have carried for years. For others, it is an answered prayer for a family that sacrificed to get them there. And for the Arete Scholars community, it is the clearest possible evidence of what becomes possible when a community refuses to let a child's potential go unrealized.

In the Class of 2026 Legacy Publication, you will meet MaKensie Scott, Arete's 2026 Graduate of the Year. A state and national champion powerlifter, dedicated servant leader, and future physician from Slidell, Louisiana, MaKensie completed over 100 hours of community service, raised her ACT score by four points through Arete's ACT Prep program, and is now setting her sights on a career in medicine driven by compassion and purpose.

She is one of 163.

There is also Joshua, heading to Morehouse College to pursue a Biology degree with a pre-medical concentration. Caitlyn, who earned an athletic scholarship to Ottawa University to study Applied Psychology. And 160 more scholars, each with a story worth knowing, now stepping into the next chapter of their lives with confidence and preparation.

With 97% of the Class of 2026 crossing the graduation stage, in communities where the odds are often stacked against economically disadvantaged students, the results speak for themselves. But behind every statistic is a family that made a sacrifice, a school that believed in a child, and a community of supporters who chose to invest in a future they may never see up close.

These 163 graduates are proof that belief, paired with action, changes lives.

To meet the full Class of 2026, explore The Arete Legacy, our commemorative publication celebrating every scholar who made it to this moment.

Click here to read the Class of 2026 Legacy Publication.