workshops

What We Cover

college applications

Mentors and college administrators discuss everything students need to know about the Ivy League, UC, and other undergraduate university applications. We go through the general application, requirements, due dates, and most importantly writing responses. Students from the Central Valley have unique and valuable stories to share in their applications, our job is to help them find and refine that story. We give students the skills on how to write a good college essay and bring ease to the college application process. 

FAFSA AND DREAM ACT

Applying for Finacial Aid and Dream Act is one of the most important parts of the student's application process. Often times, deadlines are not met due to misinformation or incorrect documentation. We make sure to go over these applications in detail discussing important dates, step-by-step process for filling these applications, breaking down the different CAL Grants and qualifications for each, and going over other scholarships (both local and national) students can apply to. 

ENCOURAGEMENT AND CONFIDENCE

When students see people from their own communities, with their own identities, successfully attending and graduating from prestigious universities, they begin to believe they can do the same. 

We understand that many of our students face imposter syndrome, the feeling that they are not wise enough or not qualified enough to obtain a higher education. To build students' confidence and directly attack any sense of imposter syndrome, we bring both honorary speakers and a college student panel to our workshops. Our honorary speakers are natives from the Central Valley, who have not only successfully graduated with their Bachelor's and Masters/J.D./Ph.D. but have also accomplished a successful career. Our honorary speakers share their stories and advice to students. In our college student panel, we bring back students from the Central Valley who currently attend universities such as Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and more, to share their experiences and directly answer student's questions.

What's Included

• Breakfast and lunch

• Raffle prizes - AirPods, computors, hydro flasks Central Valley Scholars merch, and more

• All required materials - folders, pens, paper

• Resources guide - get a guide to different scholarships and resources in the Central Valley

• Networking time -  students will get to speak with honorary speakers and student panel

• Tampons and pads - these will be available for free in all of our restrooms  

• Changing tables - students parents or older siblings will have changing tables available in the restrooms

• Activity table - there will be a supervised activity table for children so student parents or older siblings can focus on presentations

• Travel - we will work to provide transportation for students who may need it

Accessibility 

child-friendly

Students are more than welcome to bring their children and/or younger siblings and may breastfeed at any time.

LGBTQ+ SAFE

We always introduce ourselves with our pronouns and have gender-neutral restrooms at our spaces. 

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS

We will make any accommodation necessary to make sure our space is accessible to you. When you register for our workshop make sure to make note of any accommodations you may need.