This article talks about Mission High School located in San Francisco, where majority of its students come from two of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The entrance of the historic Mission High School is reminiscent of the grand entryways in elite colleges and universities. The irony of Mission's architecturally pleasing edifice is that for too long, Mission was seen as the end of a student's education, rather than as a stepping stone to college and later career pursuits. But this sad incongruity has begun to change because of the efforts of teacher, student, and administrator leadership at Mission. Mission High School has created small learning communities to personalize education for each student and has transformed the way students think about themselves and their futures.