We are excited to welcome three new board members to our Partnership Scholars Program community: Brian Ishida, Sara Potter, and Walter Garcia. Brian has a background in finance and joins the Board hoping to provide advice and guidance on the financial health of the organization. Sara and Walter are the first of PSP’s alumni to join the Board of Trustees and both look forward to being able to give back to the organization. PSP is excited about this addition to our leadership and vision as we continue to advance our mission of providing academic and cultural enrichment to help our scholars succeed! 

Sara Potter

Sara Potter is one of two PSP alumni to join the Board of Trustees. Sara brings with her a passionate desire to give back to the organization that gave her so much when she was in middle and high school. Sara is a Partnership Scholars Program class of 2006 alumni with her BA in Art History & Sociology from UC Santa Barbara and her MA in Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs from UCLA. She now works as a Financial Wellness Coordinator at UCLA, guiding students in financing their education. Since graduating over 10 years ago, Sara has maintained a close relationship with her mentor and is excited to now be part of the organization’s leadership.

This is Sara’s first time serving on a nonprofit board, but she has had experience serving on several committees, including the UC-wide Food Security Committee, on which she worked to promote food security for students who struggle. She also served on the UCLA First Generation College Student Committee, which supports students at UCLA who are first in their family to attend college.

Sara’s goal while serving on the PSP Board of Trustees is to get alumni involved. She hopes to find strategic ways that the organization can connect and collaborate with colleges and universities, specifically she wants to find ways that the organization can infuse financial literacy education for students in the program. “This is especially important for the students we help who don’t have parents who have had the experience of paying for college,” says Sara. “I want to be sure that mentors know that I’m a resource, for students who are looking for ways to fund their education. I have a background in residential life so if students have questions about living on campus, I’m also a resource for that.”

Sara lives in Culver City and loves hiking, being out in nature (especially the ocean), watches the Food Network religiously, loves to cook, and is a huge Bruin fan!