FACES operates as part of the Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland (CHRCO), one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive pediatric medical facilities located in an inner-city neighborhood. Accordingly, it recruits minority adolescent interns from some of the most medically underserved and ethnically diverse areas in Alameda County, including East, Central and North Oakland, and South Berkeley. Notably, all participants are considered “at-risk” because of the high poverty, crime, unemployment and mortality rates, and limited recreation and other opportunities for youth in their communities.

The target population for the FACES Program is underrepresented minority adolescents that are representative of the ethnic diversity of the surrounding communities. As such, they are also representative of the minority groups currently under-represented in the health professions. By virtue of their age, ethnicity and community in which they live, they are considered amongst the most at-risk and resilient adolescents in the state.

The schools FACES students attend are located in some of the most economically disadvantaged and crime-ridden areas of Oakland. For example, in Oakland, 67.6% of students are enrolled in the Free or Reduced Price Meal Programs administered by the US Department of Agriculture and 25.5% of students are enrolled in California's welfare program CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids). In comparison, in Alameda County overall, only 35.7% of students are enrolled in the Free or Reduced Price Meal Programs and 12.4% in CalWORKS. Therefore, the FACES Program serves one of the most disadvantaged student populations in the nation.

These students work hard to succeed in a school district that is under-performing and under-resourced. The lack of college preparation can be seen in the academic performance levels of each district. Only 27% of Oakland Unified students passed the math portion and 49% passed the English portion of the California High School Exit Exam for Mathematics and English Language Arts. When examining test results by race, disparities are glaring. While only 19% of African American and 21% of Latino students in Oakland Unified School District passed the math portion of the Exit Exam, more than double (49%) of non-Hispanic White students passed the math portion.

These disparities in academic performance levels impact students' SAT performance, which ultimately impacts their college application and admission levels. The Verbal and Math average of the SAT I for Oakland Unified School District students was 844, while the average was 1033 for Alameda County.