Another one for the books: the 2023 College Success Retreat!

August 22, 2023 in Uncategorized

PSP hosted its 11th annual College Success Retreat! This year, 24 scholars gathered at Scripps College in Claremont to attend a multitude of workshops in preparation for college application season as well as experience residential life as college students.  Scholars had the opportunity to hear from various experts in the fields of financial aid and college admissions.  Through partnerships with First Gen Empower and Financial Space, scholars now know what to expect on a college application, the different  types of higher education institutions, all about the FAFSA and the most favorable types of financial aid, how to search for scholarships and so much more! In addition, scholars attended session that explained college fit, helped them create their college list and started drafting their college essay. Mentors also participated in a workshop on how to support their college bound scholars.

The Lennox and El Monte PSP communities enjoyed getting to know each other through various activities, including an improv class led by WE Improv, which created comradery and had everyone laughing!  Scholars and mentors also toured the five Claremont Colleges and learned about their history and areas of focus. The scholars that attended last year’s retreat, which took place at USC, had the chance to compare the ambience of a small college versus that of a big research institution.

Attendees left knowing that they have a big support group within the PSP community. A scholar shared, “I loved this retreat, so sad it’s my last, but it I’m very grateful to have been able to have the experience of getting to know other scholars while learning important lesson of challenges up ahead…I feel more excited for what lies ahead whatever the challenge may be.” Check out a snapshot of our event in this video!

Scholars & Mentors Enjoy College Success Retreat at USC

August 29, 2022 in Uncategorized

In early August, Partnership Scholars Program hosted the 2022 College Success Retreat at the University of Southern California. After two years of virtual retreats, we were thrilled to come together in person. Twenty-eight rising juniors and seniors from the El Monte and Lennox regions spent the weekend at the university preparing for the upcoming college application season. Students had the chance to experience college life by staying in residence halls, eating at dining halls and exploring the beautiful campus. On Sunday, we were joined by rising sophomores for workshops on mental health, financial education and to hear from PSP alumni about their college experiences.

PSP Alumni Panel: Valeria (Cal State Long Beach), Patricia (UC Irvine), Kimberly (UC Irvine), Jessica (Vassar College), and Angel (Bucknell University)

Through a series of workshops, scholars gained a better understanding about the college admissions process, financial aid and scholarships. Our wonderful mentors shared their personal college experiences and advised students during the sessions. Five PSP alumni joined scholars to share their unique paths to college. They shed light on the challenges that first generation college students face  in higher education institutions and served as a source of inspiration to their younger peers. Click here to see the agenda for the weekend.

The retreat not only focused on preparing students for the college application process but also on teaching basic financial literacy skills and promoting personal wellness. PSP partnered with The Financial Space to bring scholars an engaging session that focused on teaching students strategies to build wealth. All scholars indicated that their confidence level to build a budget increased by the end of the session. In an anonymous poll, students were asked what they learned during the presentation. One student shared, “Investing can be a good thing and passive income is something to strive for.” Another scholar expressed, “It’s possible to build generational wealth.” PSP will continue to offer opportunities throughout the year to help students acquire and strengthen their financial literacy skills.

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Congrats to the Class of ’22!

June 17, 2022 in Uncategorized

After six years of dedication to school and enriched learning, the Partnership Scholars Program Class of 2022 have achieved their college goals to head to college! See their path in pictures, from 7th grade to today:

Above, see PSP scholars from 7th grade to graduation day.  Below, our festive celebration in Los Angeles, after 2 years of virtual graduations!

On Saturday June 11th, 2022, Partnership Scholars Program celebrated our El Monte & Lennox Class of 2022 Graduates at the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles. The next day the Ukiah graduating scholars celebrated at the Rivino Winery. This year’s graduates had the opportunity to celebrate in person alongside family, mentors, PSP Board Members, donors and staff.

Click the links to read about the experiences of this year’s graduates!

El Monte Grads’ Reflections Lennox Grads’ Reflections Ukiah & North Coast Grads’ Reflections

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College Success Retreat Goes Virtual

December 3, 2020 in Uncategorized

PSP transformed our annual College Success Retreat into an online event this past summer and fall due to COVID 19. All rising 11th and 12th grade scholars participated in three months of weekly workshops, instead of taking part in our usual in-person intensive on a college campus. Each week they focused on a different topic to support them in their college planning.

Scholars learned how to research and create their college and scholarship lists, learned about financial aid and reviewed the timeline and steps in the  college application process. Through an expanded partnership with The Plus Me Project, PSP scholars participated in a series of storytelling workshops where they explored their personal life stories, creating a blueprint for their college essays.

Scholars used an online tool called Jamboard to anonymously share their financial aid questions & concerns with staff and mentors.

Scholars also learned organization/time management techniques and how to put together a resume, invaluable life skills for our future young professionals. Near the culmination, scholars attended a PSP Alumni Panel where they had the opportunity to converse with our current first generation college scholars. 

(Clockwise) Thae, attending UC Santa Barbara; Alexis, attending CSU Dominguez Hills; Quisi, attending Beloit College; Kimberly, attending UC Irvine.

Click Here to Listen to the PSP Alumni Panel Discussion 

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Meeting Student Needs during COVID 19

April 6, 2020 in Uncategorized

 Even as we all need to continue staying physically away from one another, PSP is still here for our community of students, mentors and families. Our team is working our regular schedule from home, and can still be reached at our regular phone and email addresses.

PSP administered a student poll as the school shut downs began to find out what their most urgent needs were. There were three themes in student responses:

  • the need for more academic support (like tutoring, help with keeping up on deadlines),
  • the need for more technology for remote learning
  • and more ways to build personal connections with mentors and fellow scholars.

A number of students also shared concerns about the well-being of their family in terms of health and job status.

Based on this input, PSP is making some changes to help us better support scholars and mentors during this time.

We will also be hosting monthly mentor sessions online. Please reach out to us with any questions about how PSP continues to serve students during this time. 

 

 

 

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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Introducing the PSP Class of 2025, Lennox Cohort

December 9, 2019 in Uncategorized

Partnership Scholars Program had the pleasure of introducing the newest PSP Scholars to the larger Lennox community at an induction ceremony on a rainy November night. Board members, school staff, PSP alumni, donors, families, mentors and current scholars celebrated these eight new students.

You can read what each student wrote about joining PSP at the end of this piece.

Angel, a current PSP Scholar now in his senior year at Animo Leadership Charter High School,  imparted advice to new students and shared his experience thus far in the program.  Calling PSP “a once in a life time milestone,” Angel emphasized five benefits of being part of PSP, including financial assistance, cultural awareness, personal growth, mentorship, and collegial awareness. Use the links below to hear Angel talk about…

 

Personal Growth    College Visits    His Goals    Advice for Scholars

Click here to learn about becoming a PSP mentor this year. 

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PSP College Success Retreat at UCLA!

August 22, 2017 in Articles

On August 4-6 rising 70 high school juniors and seniors and 13 mentors and staff joined us for three action packed days at UCLA! The PSP staff created workshops and lectures to help the scholars learn about the college application and financial aid process. Scholars even got to experience one of the UCLA housing facilities and dining halls for the weekend!

Read our full post for more details, pictures and videos from the retreat!

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PSP Class of 2017 Graduation

August 22, 2017 in Articles

On June 17, 2017 we held a graduation ceremony at the Center at Cathedral Plaza for PSP graduating class of 2017! We had three graduation ceremonies for our class of 2017 scholars in Fort Bragg, Ukiah and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles graduation was for 32 scholars who graduated from high school and PSP. We are so proud of our graduates and all of their achievements during their six years in the program and we can’t wait to see all of the amazing things they accomplish during their college careers! This year, 100% of our graduates are attending college and 85% of those will be attending a four year university this fall.

Click below to see more photos from our ceremonies and read more about the PSP graduating class of 2017!

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PSP welcomes Brian Ishida to the Board of Trustees

April 25, 2017 in Articles, Board

We are excited to welcome three new board members to our Partnership Scholars Program community: Brian Ishida, Sara Potter, and Walter Garcia. 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! 

Brian Ishida

As a Senior Vice President at California United Bank, Brian Ishida has the opportunity to work with many nonprofit organizations. Last year, he was introduced to Partnership Scholars Program and the work the organization does by his colleague, Sharon Hauptman. Brian was looking for the right fit for an organization to get involved with and he was instantly moved by the mission of the organization “I’m a big believer that without the right opportunities people will never expand outside of their comfort zones,” says Brian. “That’s something that really touched home with me.”

A native Angeleno, Brian grew in Gardena, a city with a very diverse socioeconomic make up. “I saw firsthand the difference an opportunity can make,” says Brian. “Friends during my youth who were exposed to various cultural and educational opportunities flourished, while those who weren’t fell into a closed mindset and couldn’t get themselves to expand out of their comfort zones. I look back and realize the opportunities I had, and want to give back.”

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