Our History
Founded in 1997 by David Domenici and James Forman, Jr., See Forever was designed as a holistic program for teens involved in the juvenile justice system. Court-involved teens told Mr. Domenici and Mr. Forman that they wanted to earn money, learn marketable skills, and gain responsibility. When they returned to school, they also wanted to attend small classes with teachers who cared about them, and they wanted help making hard decisions.

We opened our doors in 1997 as a comprehensive program for 20 teens. That year we sponsored a school naming contest. Sherti Hendrix, of the Class off 1999, wrote the winning essay, advocating for the school to be named after Dr. Maya Angelou. [Click here to read her winning essay]. In the spring of 1998, we incorporated our school, the Maya Angelou Public Charter School, as separate nonprofit subsidiary. That same year we purchased the historic Odd Fellows Building at the corner of 9th and T Street, NW. We moved into the building in the fall of 2000, after completing a $3 million renovation. We grew each year, as students from all over the City and from all sorts of academic backgrounds actively sought admission. Some had been out of school, some had been going to big schools and heard about our program and the one-on-one support students get here, and others were referred to the school by supporters. This year, the first campus reached its enrollment ceiling of 117 students. In September 2004 we opened our second campus in partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools, in the former Evans Middle School, located in the 5600 block of East Capital Street, NE. That campus now has 120 students.

Although our program is small by design, it has achieved national attention. We have been featured in the Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor. In the fall of 2003 we were featured on PBS’s Newshour with Jim Lehrer. We have received funding from national foundations including the Billl & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.

In the Summer of 2006 we transitioned to our first ever non-founder Executive Director, Ms. Cynthia Robbins. Cynthia has extensive experience in education, advocacy, and development. Her experience includes serving as a senior program officer at Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation and Vice President of Development at LearnNow/ Edison Schools. Cynthia has a BA from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and a law degree from Stanford University. Ms. Robbins also has significant ties to the community, and serves on the boards of a number of local agencies including D.C. Public Defender Service, Lincoln Theater, and D.C. Vote.