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Looking Back at the 20-21 School Year

August 11, 2021 in Uncategorized

This past school year, PSP scholars and mentors have gone above and beyond to keep in touch, grow as scholar/mentor groups, and continue preparing for college—all virtually and remotely.

Scholars and mentors reflected on their past year together and created visual journals about their experiences. The submissions were astounding. They identified high points—many PSP-related events and moments with their mentors— in their lives as a PSP scholar through a virtual world.

This video captures just a few of these high points of both scholars and mentors.

Since the pandemic began, PSP has updated and changed our programming to meet our community’s needs in a holistic way. While our primary mission is to support students on their path to college and career, we’ve always taken the approach that that success comes when students get to experience a full range of learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

This year, students and mentors together with the PSP team rose to that challenge.

 “Thank you PSP for giving me so many opportunities…. Especially this year, my senior year, with the college applications and financial aid workshops. They were a huge help.” – Vanessa, Graduating Senior

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A Statement of Support and Hope

June 10, 2020 in Uncategorized

The murder of George Floyd, following the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the many other Black people going back generations, has sparked protest around the globe and in our home cities. We at PSP share your struggle with the intense feelings that these killings bring up – heartbreak, anger, fear, helplessness. My hope for our world is that this moment will be one step a path that ends in true and swift reform of our culture and institutions so that not one more life will be taken.

Partnership Scholars Program was founded in the belief that every child has a right to an education and that no child should be limited by their environment. We believe that everyone must have the opportunity to achieve their goals and create the life they want to live. Without equity and true justice that goal can never be achieved.

At our core PSP wants our community of students, volunteers and alumni to feel safe; to have hope for the future; to live in a world that is just. We believe that Black lives matter and that the arbitrary killing of Black and Brown people is the true injustice in our world. We’ll continue to seek equity by lifting up PSP students and mentors as they contribute to creating a better world. 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

                        – Martin Luther King, Jr, Letter from a Birmingham Jail

All of us at PSP are committed to fighting injustice and oppression, and creating equal opportunity for all. In our staff and board meetings, we’ll be asking ourselves how we can embody an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory philosophy in all our work.

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Introducing the PSP Class of 2025, El Monte Cohort

February 6, 2020 in Uncategorized

Introducing PSP’s Class of 2025, El Monte Cohort

Picture of PSP's new 7th grade scholars

Eight new 7th grade scholars join PSP at induction ceremony

Partnership Scholars Program started the New Year in high spirits as we inducted eight new students from El Monte into PSP’s Class of 2025 cohort. Board members, donors, alumni, current scholars, and the principal and staff members of Charles T. Kranz Intermediate School joined the PSP community to celebrate this momentous event for all the new students.

Before the new 7th grade scholars were presented, we heard from the current 8th grade scholars, who shared their experience and advice from the past year. With guidance from Kranz teacher and long-time PSP mentor Camille Osburn, the students created presenations that they shared – along with laughs and advice for PSP’s newest students.

Click to see the 8th grade presentations:    

Hannan & Johnny       Francess & Jazmin    

Aaron, Frankie & Daniel        Jacqueline & Katherine   

Click here to learn more about mentoring PSP students. 

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Why Lennox: A history of PSP’s 20-year partnership

March 21, 2017 in Articles

Over 20 years ago, Lennox Middle School (LMS) was engaged in a partnership with UCLA and the Howard Hughes Corporation. Though this partnership, Dr. Glenn Langer, Head of Cardiology at the UCLA Medical School, started volunteering at Lennox School District. He was impressed by the bright, motivated students at LMS and almost equally astonished to find out that a number of those students had not been out of that 1.3 square mile community. Dr. Langer noted that “progression of a student through high school to graduation was problematic; entry to a four-year college, a rarity. Many of the students had never travelled outside the district in their lives!” After all, the ocean is only a couple of miles away, yet many students had never seen it. “This Depression kid immediately identified with these twelve- to thirteen-year-olds,” said Dr. Langer.

Using the LMS-UCLA-Howard Hughes partnership as a springboard, Dr. Langer came to the principal and vice principal of LMS and pitched an idea for a scholarship program to assist students who showed academic promise. The partnership had the following goal: That motivated but economically and culturally disadvantaged students are not limited by their environment but are assured of progressing to a level determined only by their own considerable talents to the end that they will be competitive for entry into four-year colleges with scholarship aid. “That first year, we interviewed about 75 kids and out of those, picked seven to be in the program,” says Meg Sanchez, then LMS assistant-principal and current PSP Board Chair. “Once those kids finished at LMS, those students were sent to a private high school in Playa del Ray in order to keep them on track, in lieu of keeping them with mentors through high school.” Proving far too costly, the private school component was done away with and replaced with mentorship through high school.

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Welcome Class of 2022!

January 25, 2017 in Articles

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This year, PSP welcomes 18 new scholars to the Partnership Scholars Program class of 2022.

Our new scholars are an inspiring class; each has a personal story that speaks of hope, motivation, courage and most of all, big dreams for the future. These new students are excited at the possibilities ahead with the support PSP will provide them throughout the next six years of their educational journey.

One student says, “An education that a majority of students take for granted is what I take very seriously.” Another says “I want to be successful and be able to help my family and be a good example to my younger siblings.” At El Monte’s induction ceremony held on January 18, incoming Charles T. Kraz Intermediate School 7th grader Derek M. acknowledged that it will be hard work, but he plans on attending Harvard University and becoming a child psychologist.

Over the last couple of months, students completed a rigorous application process that included responding to essay questions, providing letters of recommendation and, and, for the small pool of finalists, sitting through a panel interview. Every year, Partnership Scholars Program receives a tremendous number of qualified applications from bright, motivated young individuals in our program sites of Lennox, El Monte, Fort Bragg, and Ukiah. In Lennox alone, there were 70 applicants who were eager to be a part of this year’s PSP class. Each 7th grader who is admitted to our program demonstrates that they are committed to 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, helping them along the way to achieve their dreams.

We are excited and honored to help the class of 2022 as they explore the world and pursue their dreams!

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 2022!

Dr. Glenn Langer
Mr. Tom Turner
Oder Family Foundation
Dr. George Ferenczi & Dr. Miki Kalpins
Mr. and Mrs. Richard & Sue Masson
Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm & Sylvia Boyce

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Giving thanks to long-time supporters, Malcolm & Sylvia Boyce

November 21, 2016 in Articles

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Nearly 10 years ago, Malcolm Boyce was perusing his Colgate University alumni magazine when he stumbled upon an article telling of a nonprofit organization fellow alumni, Glenn Langer, had founded and was expanding called Partnership Scholars Program. Since retiring, Malcolm and his wife Sylvia had made it a priority to invest their charitable giving in educational organizations. After reading about Dr. Langer’s organization with its mission of college-access for low-income students, Malcolm became intrigued. “It sounded interesting to me, so I got Glenn Langer’s address up in Mendocino County and we talked about it,” said Malcolm. The couple traveled from their home in Lafayette up to meet with Dr. Langer and his wife Marianne and from there began their philanthropic pursuits with the organization. At the outset, they made a small contribution to the organization, which grew over time. “In 2008 [Glenn] suggested that I join the board,” said Malcom, which he did, serving for about five years as a PSP Trustee.

Both Malcolm and Sylvia felt it was important to be active participants in their philanthropy and have maintained relationships with many of the scholars they sponsor, as well as their mentors. “We have followed two or three groups through the program and have seen them go off to college,” says Malcolm. “We’ve gotten to know most of the mentors, which is a big help. At the end of the day, the quality of the mentor is the most important thing in the organization.” Sylvia echoes Malcolm’s sentiments, calling the mentors she’s had the pleasure of getting to know in Mendocino an “energetic and dedicated group.”

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Mentors Barb and Mark Lurie give it their all

November 21, 2016 in Articles

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Barbara (Barb) Lurie discovered Partnership Scholars Program about four years ago while helping a friend, Dr. George Ferenczi, find a local organization to invest in. “I did some research and found out about the PSP program,” says Barb, recalling that a relative of a friend was involved in the program and initially introduced her to PSP.  After connecting George with organization’s founder, Dr. Glenn Langer, Barb decided that she and her husband Mark Lurie would become volunteer mentors and started working with students in Lennox.

Now, Barb and Mark team up together as co-mentors and have taken on some of the program’s older scholars. “The first year we got ‘orphans’ who had lost their mentors,” says Barb. “Our first scholars are now juniors in college; they were juniors in high school when we got started.” Having kept up with the now college students, Barb and Mark get together with their former scholars from time to time for dinner. “The biggest pleasure now is to get together with some of the kids that we started with who are in college now,” agrees Mark.

Allowing many of their students to have opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have is central to their mentorship with PSP. “We have one kid whose father was completely disabled by a stroke, his mother didn’t speak English and cares for his father,” says Barb. “It was really gratifying to get to expose him to things he wouldn’t normally get to do.” She adds, “When we signed up to be mentors, we were hoping to enrich the students’ lives a bit but we didn’t realize how much we ourselves would be enriched.” As the two do not have children of their own, they have found mentoring to be an eye-opening experience, giving them insight into “what it’s like to have teenagers.”

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Spotlight on PSP senior: Erick Pech

November 18, 2016 in Articles

queen-mary-erick-pechHawthorne Academy senior Erick Pech has been keeping himself busy this year with school clubs, a part-time job and, most importantly: Upcoming college decisions. Erick has proven himself to be an outstanding student and was nominated by Partnership Scholars Program to be a 2016 Posse Scholar earlier this year. One of three nominees from PSP’s senior class, Erick underwent a highly competitive, rigorous interview process and is now amongst a small pool of semifinalists.

With his mentor, John Ely, Erick has been able to visit several college campuses and participate in activities that he calls a “nice distraction” from the pressures of school. Erick is exploring many college possibilities, focusing first on his University of California and California State University applications. “At the moment I’m thinking about biomedical engineering,” says Erick, considering private, out-of-state options as well, including Dickenson College. After visiting the school during PSP’s New York trip in the summer of 2015, Erick became interested in Dickenson’s three-two year program. “You do three years at Dickenson and then finish off two years at their partner school,” says Erick. In the meantime, Erick is working with his mentor and John’s wife, Meg Sanchez, on applications and letters of recommendations.

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