Student Sponsor Partners was founded in 1986 by New York City investment banker Peter Flanigan. Peter recruited friends and colleagues to finance the education of 45 students at Cardinal Hayes and Cathedral High School, and to provide those students with one-on-one mentorship and academic support. Student Sponsor Partners ( SSP ) recruits average to below-average students who are motivated to take advantage of the opportunity for a quality high school education. Most of the students accepted to our program are from public middle schools and single parent families living on public assistance in New York's inner city. Since that first class of 45 students started in the fall of 1986, SSP has grown to serve thousands of students. Today 1350 students, 1600 Sponsors, and 26 Partner Schools throughout New York City are part of SSP. SSP has continued successfully over the years because our model works. The graduation rate among the Class of 2009 was 90%, and 95% of graduates went on to college. And the SSP experience has an impact on many students' lives long after they graduate from high school: independent research indicates that SSP alumni earn college degrees at a rate of five to six times that of their low-income peers nationwide.