You are browsing the Blog for PSP.

Celebrating partnership: A look at the Oder Family Foundation’s Dana Oder

April 20, 2017 in Articles, Partner

The PSP community is lucky to have so many dedicated partners. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our donors and sponsors, hundreds of scholars set out on a path toward achieving their goals that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. For over 13 years, Dana Oder and the Oder Family Foundation have been prominent supporters of Partnership Scholars Program. To date, they have helped 29 scholars develop their interests and prepare for college success.

Dana Oder first heard about PSP in 2004 through the Southern California Grant Makers, an association of grant-making foundations. “As soon as I heard there was mentorship involved we were very interested and I knew that it would be a good fit,” says Dana. Dana reached out to Meg Sanchez, who had helped launch the organization in 1996. Meg, Dana and PSP’s founder, Glenn Langer, all met in Lennox where Dana learned more about the mentorship program, and Dana agreed to become a sponsor.

“The next important part [was] the leadership. When I met Glenn and heard about his past and the passion for the children, it [stuck] with [me]. He was very enthusiastic!”

As a sponsor of several students a year through her family foundation, Dana has been able to see the organization grow and evolve over the years. “Every year I could see that difference,” says Dana. “It’s really been a fulfilling experience.” She felt so strongly committed to PSP’s mission of helping low-income students succeed that she joined PSP’s Board of Trustees for a time.

Dana has had the pleasure of meeting some of the students and their families at PSP events, such as induction and graduation ceremonies and takes great pleasure in receiving regular updates in the mail from the students she sponsors. “The letters and post cards are really impactful,” says Dana. “I’ll take those that are sent to me and I pass them around to those who work with the foundation. It’s impactful to see the pictures and get to see what the students are getting out of the program.”

The biggest reason Dana continues to give and be so involved with the organization is seeing the students reach their goals time and time again. “To see them from start to finish…it’s a remarkable process,” says Dana.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off on Celebrating partnership: A look at the Oder Family Foundation’s Dana Oder

PSP welcomes Sara Potter to the Board of Trustees

April 20, 2017 in Alumni, Board

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.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: , , ,
Comments Off on PSP welcomes Sara Potter to the Board of Trustees

PSP welcomes Walter Garcia to the Board of Trustees

April 20, 2017 in Alumni, Board

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! 

Walter Garcia

PSP alumnus Walter Garcia graduated from the program back in 2010. He feels strongly about giving back to a program that he says provided him with some extraordinary, life-changing experiences. “I would not be where I’m at today were it not for the help of others, like the Partnership Scholars Program,” said Walter. “And so, I feel an inherent responsibility to give back.”

Walter graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Political Science and immediately went on to work in politics in Washington D.C. He has worked for Representatives Keith Ellison and Tony Cardenas, the United States Department of State, the Democratic National Committee, and recently accepted the position of Press Secretary for California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

This will be Walter’s first experience serving on a nonprofit board and he is very excited at the opportunity. During his time serving on the board, Walter looks forward to ensuring that the alumni perspective is alive and well. “I am not too far removed from the experience of being in the program,” says Walter. “I remember very vividly the experience I had, and I want to make sure that point of view is always a part of the conversation.” He is also looking forward to raising the program’s profile and outreach. “The program is not too well-known, but has done so much for so many people,” says Walter. He hopes to help the organization get more exposure and share its success with the world.

Walter grew up in Los Angeles and now resides in Sacramento. He enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.

Tags: , , , ,
Comments Off on PSP welcomes Walter Garcia to the Board of Trustees

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.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off on Why Lennox: A history of PSP’s 20-year partnership

Going above and beyond

February 22, 2017 in Articles

Last semester’s grades are in and an impressive 48 scholars – nearly a quarter  of our current scholars – have attained a 4.0 or better GPA. These  students continue to show great determination and strive for the very best, working hard to keep their grades at the highest level. While PSP requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout the six years in the program, we are proud that many of our scholars are striving to achieve more in order to reach their dreams of attending top universities in California and around the country.

Students like senior Daniela P. at Ukiah High School are highly self-motivated to achieve a 4.0. “I know that having a GPA above a 3.5 is good enough for me and everyone that’s watching, like my parents or PSP, but inside I get a great amount of satisfaction with myself,” says Daniela. “I try for a 4.0 as much as I can even though I know I won’t get it most of the time and it’s okay when I don’t because I know I tried my best. But when I do reach that goal it feels really good inside.” Like most PSP scholars, Ukiah High School junior Ivan R. will be the first in his family to go to college and is determined to do what his older brother could not. “When my brother was in high school, he wasn’t able to keep a 4.0 because of language difficulties,” says Ivan. “I’ve proven that I’m capable of that and raised the bar. I’m pretty proud that I’m the first one in my family to have done that.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: , , , , ,
Comments Off on Going above and beyond

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

November 21, 2016 in Articles

boyces-002

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.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: , , ,
Comments Off on Giving thanks to long-time supporters, Malcolm & Sylvia Boyce

 
Next Entries →