Thanks to a partnership with the L.A. Dodgers Foundation, 100 Partnership Scholars, mentors and family spent Friday, June 3 watching the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves!

We were there for Dre Dayz, an event that L.A. Dodger Andre Ethier supports. Another benefit of this partnership, PSP scholars got to be featured on the big screen over the ballpark!

The Foundation provided a special treat to some of PSP’s highest achieving students. Students who earned a 4.0 or better on their report cards were invited for a special evening in a VIP suite at the stadium. The L.A. Dodgers Foundation gave these students new sneakers and Dodger gear and they got to tour the stadium and go down on the field!

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Five years ago, Giovanni Pantoja (scholar) and Noel Velasco (mentor) met for the first time. The two connected right away and began exploring the world together, first taking stock of the culture in the Los Angeles area. During one of their monthly cultural enrichment trips, Giovanni and Noel were humbled by the dire conditions on the streets of LA’s Skid Row neighborhood. The trip struck such a chord in both Giovanni and Noel that rather than allowing their concern to fade, the two set out to create “a sustainable plan to help one of the largest homeless populations in the nation and motivate others to seek answers to community problems,” says Noel. “After months of hard work, a wishful thought transformed into Alleviate Skid Row.”

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These are exciting times for seniors! We have been hearing about the great schools that you’ve been accepted to and want to congratulate you on your accomplishments thus far. Please continue to keep us up to date as you hear from the schools you applied to.

Shortly after acceptance decisions, you will be receiving your Financial Aid Award letter from schools. It is important that you understand what each school is offering you in order to make the best decision for enrollment. These letters can be difficult to understand, so we are providing you with a tool that can help you. uAspire, an organization that prepares students  with financial information and resources for college, has developed the “Award Letter Analyzer”.  This tool will help you to compare multiple award letters and understand the total cost associated with each school.

Click here to download the uAspire Award Letter Analyzer . You can also download the uAspire Analyzer Guide which provides notes that are helpful when filling out the Analyzer.

On February 5, 2016 two Fort Bragg scholars got to show off their photography in a a show organized by their mentor Denise DeLuise. Last summer, Partnerships Scholars Program was able to send Fort Bragg scholars Celeste (15) and Esme (17) to attend the 2015 Photography Summer Camp course for a week in Brooklyn, New York at the SOCAPA (School Of Creative And Performing Arts). During their time at the camp, Esme and Celeste stayed in the dorms at Poly-Tech University for one week. They spent their second week spent exploring NYC with their mentor, Denise. Both scholars described their experience in New York as completely life changing. This February, they got to share their new-found passion for photography at a gallery show!

You can read short essays by Esme and Celeste about this experience. Below are a few excerpts from essays the scholars wrote about their experiences.

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PSP founder Dr. Glenn Langer was honored by the UCLA Faculty Women’s Club on February 2, 2016 for creating Partnership Scholars Program. You can see more about Glenn, and about PSP, in the UCLA FWC announcement! PSP Board Chair Meg Sanchez spoke about all the organization has accomplished over the past 20 years. Two of PSP’s most recent alumni, who are now Bruins themselves, spoke at the ceremony as well. Ivan Garcia and Sandra Estrada spoke movingly of the role that PSP, their mentors, and Dr. Langer had in shaping their lives.

As Sandra said in her speech, “As a 7^th grader, I did not know much about what Dr. Langer and the Partnership Scholars Program had in store for us, but as a first year UCLA student, I can testify that it was one heck of a ride. A ride that I will forever be grateful for.” You can read Sandra’s full speech here. And here she is enjoying a game with Josephine Bruin!

Dr. Langer and his late wife, Marianne, made experiences like Sandra’s possible for hundreds of California students when he founded PSP. With the help of our many mentors, donors and supporters, he has helped transform the lives of so many children and families though his vision of educational and cultural opportunity for all.

This year, PSP welcomed 32 new scholars into Partnership Scholars Program. These students completed a rigorous application process that included responding to essay questions, providing letters of recommendation and, for the finalists, sitting through a panel interview. Each young student who joins our program demonstrates that they are ready to embark on the six-year journey that will culminate in their attendance at an institution of higher education. Each of our new students has a mentor who will expose them to new cultural experiences and educational opportunities.

Our new scholars are an inspiring class; each has a personal story that speaks of hope, motivation, courage and most of all, a dream for the future. The words of one student are representative of almost all our newest scholars: “I am looking forward and excited to attend college and being the first [in my family] is a huge accomplishment for me.”   Another new scholar, who aspires to become a doctor, envisions her life as an adult: “I would be financially stable, in my own doctor’s office with a lot of patients, and with a loving family.”

We are excited and honored to help the class of 2021 as they explore the world and pursue their dreams!

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PSP sponsors make it possible for each scholar to have a six-year scholarship that supports a wide range of cultural and academic activities with their mentors.

Thank you to the sponsors of the class of 2021!

Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Boyce
Mr. and Mrs. Brownrigg
Dr. Glenn Langer
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Masson
Oder Family Foundation
Mr. Tom Turner
Mr. Tomek Ulatowski

Today, on National Thank Your Mentor Day, we want to thank the hundreds of dedicated volunteers, past and present, who have mentored PSP scholars.

PSP mentors help their scholars in immeasurable ways. They encourage them to dream big, help them see the world in new ways, and help them through challenges. PSP mentors instill the belief in each of our scholars that they belong in college, and they help their scholars achieve that goal.

Having a mentor empowers young people to make smart choices that put them on a path to making better life decisions. Mentoring is linked to improved academic, social and economic prospects. We see that in the outcomes of our alumni: 90% of PSP graduates have gone directly to a four-year college!

As Dr. Langer has stated many times, “Our program is only as good as our mentors.” Thank you from scholars, past, present and future, and from the PSP Board of Directors, for taking time to provide students with opportunities they would otherwise miss out on. We are very appreciative of the work you do.  

– Meg Sanchez, Board Chair

Partnership Scholars Program is seeking to hire a contract bookkeeper who will work under the supervision of the Executive Director and a CPA. The position is ideal for someone excited to learn about non-profit financial administration or anyone looking to supplement their school or work schedule. This person will work 5-10 hours a week at the PSP office in Lennox/Inglewood.

Click here for the full job description. To apply, email a cover letter and resume to partner@partnershipscholars.org.