TEAK is a free program that helps talented students from low-income families achieve their potential. Through intensive after school and summer classes, TEAK prepares middle school students to get into the nation’s most selective high schools and colleges. TEAK’s robust support system ensures that students thrive in their independent (day and boarding) high schools and graduate from college, ready to pursue their professional goals and positively impact the world.

Our History

In 1998, Justine Stamen Arrillaga founded The TEAK Fellowship in memory of DeWitt White (1981 – 1997) and Teak Dyer (1970 – 1988), two people close to her whose lives were tragically cut short. Inspired to create opportunity for other young people, she launched TEAK to help talented students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds use education to overcome barriers and achieve their full potential.

Beginning with a pioneering class of 22 seventh-grade students, Justine led TEAK through its early years and established the foundation for the program’s long-term success. Over time, a series of leaders have built upon her vision. In 2026, Corey Blay joined TEAK as CEO, bringing more than two decades of experience in education, organizational development, community engagement, and policy leadership.

TEAK’s impact has remained strong since its first cohort. One hundred percent of TEAK Fellows have been accepted into selective independent, public, and parochial high schools, and every Fellow has matriculated to a four-year college. Of those who have completed the Fellowship, 89 percent have graduated from college, with many entering top-tier institutions, including an average of 30 percent attending Ivy League universities each year.

As TEAK’s impact has grown, so has the program. In 2008, TEAK celebrated its first class of college graduates. In 2012, the program expanded its entry point to begin in sixth grade, giving students more time to prepare for rigorous high schools. Following the successful Glancing Back > Looking Forward capital campaign in 2019, TEAK increased enrollment by 50 percent, expanding cohorts from 30 to 45 students. Today, TEAK continues to grow and currently welcomes classes of more than 50 Fellows each year.

Twenty-eight years after its founding, TEAK remains committed to opening doors to exceptional educational opportunities and preparing students to succeed and lead in their schools, careers, and communities.