Almost 20 years after Lino Sanchez launched a program for inner-city youth who love sports, he and a group of supporters cut the ribbon on the first-ever sport-centric high school in Boston. 

Urban Achievers School in Roxbury is a private school that will open later this fall to a cohort of ten freshmen students. It is based on the after-school program Lino founded at Epiphany School in Dorchester where he is also the Athletic Director. 

When WBZ featured Lino in one of its first Change Makers profiles in early 2023, he explained that-for many young people-athletic excellence is viewed as a way out of poverty. 

What students will learn

Parents encourage it and young people work for it. But those dreams rarely end with professional deals and multi-million-dollar contracts. That is why, from the program's inception, Lino has emphasized the importance of academics, leadership training, and exposure to the wide range of careers in sports. Students at Urban Achievers School will learn about sport's connection to history, science, medicine, law, education, and more. 

At the school's ribbon cutting, Lino described the opening of Urban Achievers School as a "dream come true." He shares the dream with a Board of Directors, benefactors, teachers, coaches, parents, and the mentors who have guided him through the process. From the podium, he shared a message with the students who will soon fill the classrooms and run drills on the court. "You are the future leaders, innovators, and communicators of the sports world and beyond," he said. 

"This school will be a success"

Another speaker at the event (and an Urban Achievers board member) was Dr. Joseph Cooper, the inaugural J. Keith Motley Endowed Chair for Sport Leadership and Administration at UMass Boston. He told the crowd how impressed he was when Lino spelled out his plans, "He said we can use sport and education to enhance academic as well as holistic outcomes for our young people. And I said, 'Sign me up!'" 

Dr. Cooper praised the innovation on which Urban Achievers is built and the role he expects it will play in the students' development. "This school will be a success because of all of our contributions," Dr. Cooper said.