Partnership Scholars Program

Lennox scholar Erikk Pech at his CTY summer program at Seattle University.

In an effort to provide scholars with college preparatory opportunities, Partnership Scholars Program has enjoyed a collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) since 2012. The CTY Academic Exploration program is an academically challenging summer learning opportunity available to students 7^th grade and above. In the spring, PSP arranges for 7^th and 8^th graders to take a challenging standardized test, the SCAT, to qualify for participation in the program. Once qualified, students are given the opportunity to engage in three weeks of academically rigorous courses offered on designated college campuses over the summer.

“One of the most memorable experiences I had through PSP was being able to participate in Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth,” says recent PSP graduate Raul Estrella. “In this program I was able to spend a summer at UC Santa Cruz and take actual college courses, while experiencing the college scene by dorming and participating in many different activities. I made many friends through this once in a lifetime experience, and I will actually be dorming with one of these friends that I made at CTY.”

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Congratulations to all of our PSP graduates! You did it!

Our 42 seniors are on their way to college and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments over their six years as scholars. Though they are embarking on a new and exciting chapter in their lives with many challenges ahead, we know that all of our PSP graduates will encounter great success in college and beyond.

See what this year’s graduates wrote about their experiences and plans for the future!

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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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Partnership Scholars Program hosted our first fundraising event on Friday, May 6, at King Harbor Brewing Company in Redondo Beach. We are grateful to King Harbor for hosting us and to California United Bank for underwriting this event. Nearly 30 supporters including mentors, alumni and donors came together to toast PSP, enjoying locally made pizza and beer. Attendees heard from PSP Past Board Chair Bruce McDaniel and class of 2006 graduate Sara Potter. Sara spoke movingly about her journey to achieving a college education with the guiding hand of PSP and her mentor, whom she has continued to stay close with 10 years later. Thanks to all who joined and supported us, the event raised critical funds to support scholars in Lennox and throughout the PSP community! 

Dikla joined the PSP staff  as third team member and our first Development Associate & Partnership Coordinator!  She is excited to be working with us to advance our fundraising efforts!

Having recently returned to Los Angeles after 11 years in Seattle, Washington, Dikla has been working in the nonprofit sector for over 5 years. She graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University in 2004 and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Dikla’s passion is fundraising and volunteering for organizations she cares deeply about and making lasting change in communities that are in need. She is excited about working with the Partnership Scholarship Program and being instrumental in the growth of the organization. When not hard at work, Dikla enjoys the great outdoors, hiking and going to the beach, traveling and spending time with her family.

Please join us in welcoming her as you have the opportunity to meet Dikla in the near future at our PSP office and events. We are excited to have her on board!

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