April 2011

Hello Donors, Mentors & Friends!

Last Saturday, JOYA wrapped up what turned out to be an amazing month for us and our students. 1. The student who inspired our mentoring program decided whichuniversity she’ll be attending this fall. 2. Three of our sophomores spent their spring break on a Northern California college tour. 3. And thanks to the generous donations of our 100 Campaign Donors, we received over $14,000 in contributions to our program. Our thanks to each of you for your belief in our mission and your support of the students from the Garnet neighborhood. Enjoy the highlights below!

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The First to Attend a 4-Year University
by: Emily Cross / Mentor Coordinator

This April was an especially significant month for senior Valeria Sosa, who will be the first student from the Garnet Neighborhood to go straight from high school to a 4-year university in at least 10 years.

After receiving her letters of acceptance from UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and Chapman University, Valeria has spent the month considering the various opportunities that each of these schools have to offer and trying to determine which school would be the best match for her personality and her goals. In order to aid her decision-making process, Valeria’s mentor Bethany took her to visit UC San Diego and JOYA staff accompanied her on a trip to Chapman University.

After touring both campuses and weighing the pros and cons of each with the JOYA team, Valeria has decided to be a student at Chapman University! We are so proud of Valeria for this tremendous achievement and are truly glad that we could be a part of this significant time in her life! We look forward to seeing the great things she accomplishes as she studies at Chapman and pursues her dream of studying law and becoming a District Attorney.

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Sophomores Learn What To Look For
by: Bianca Peña / Program Director

While most students enjoyed their spring break relaxing at home, three of our high school sophomores spent the week touring UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, Santa Clara University and Stanford University!

One of the most meaningful outcomes of the college tour for our girls was the chance they had to learn firsthand what is important to them in a university. After the tour, Leslie, who wants to study medicine, said she sees herself most at Stanford. She prefers Stanford’s small student population and its emphasis on a rigorous education. Xochitl, who wants to be a pediatrician one day, said she sees herself attending UC Davis because of the university’s value for the environment and the campus’ bike-riding culture.Aidee, who plans to pursue fashion design, said she sees herself as a student at UC Santa Barbara because “it’s not too big or too small” and because she met friendly professors and students there.

As Xochitl, Leslie and Aidee move into their junior and senior years in high school, we look forward to the ways their realizations this past spring break will motivate them as they prepare for college success.

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Announcement

Our 100 Campaign concluded last Saturday, April 30th, with a reception at PÄS Gallery in downtown Fullerton.

We had a great time celebrating, eating, hearing Valeria (our 1st graduating senior to go to a four-year university) share her story, watching people compete in our silent auction and experiencing the drama of the drawing for the iPad2.

We achieved our goal of having over 100 donors participate in the campaign, resulting in raising over $14,000!

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Final Note
If you'd like to learn more about getting involved with JOYA Scholars please contact Bianca, our Program Director, at biancapena@joyascholars.org or 714.322.JOYA. Thank you!

March 2011

Hello Donors, Mentors & Friends!
March was a memorable month for JOYA Scholars! We had the amazing opportunity to share about our mentoring program with the wonderful leadership team at El Dorado High School! 13 out of our 15 high school students attend EDHS. What’s more, the generous staff at District Tours, granted 3 of our 10th grade students the opportunity to participate in a week-long Northern California college tour this April! Thank you for your ongoing support of our work in the Garnet Neighborhood. Your partnership makes these opprotunities possible for JOYA and our students.

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A Meeting to Remember
by: Bianca Peña / Program Director

On March 9th, Emily and I had the great opportunity to meet with the principal, school psychologist and four counselors of El Dorado High School. I think most people, like myself, assume that school administrators are to overwhelmed to extend themselves to organizations outside of their institution. Yet, what I found in meeting with the EDHS staff was the complete opposite. They were sincerely interested in JOYA and gracious enough to give me an hour of their time and attention.

Thirteen of the fifteen high school students in our mentoring program attend EDHS. This makes building a relationship with EDHS particularly important.It enables us to collaborate with their staff as we seek to provide our students with as much guidance as possible. We feel so fortunate to to receive the enthusiastic support of the EDHS leadership team and we're excited that they were each eager to refer their students to our mentoring program as well as our tutoring nights. Our thanks to EDHS for their belief in our work in the Garnet neighborhood. It will be exciting to partner together to provide JOYA students with increased academic and relational support as they progress in school and prepare for college.

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6 Campuses, 5 Days, 1 Incredible College Tour
by: Emily Cross / Mentor Coordinator

At the end of April, three of our 10th grade students, Xochitl, Leslie and Aidee, will have the opportunity to participate in a college tour of six prestigious schools throughout California, including Santa Clara University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Berkeley and Stanford University. They are sure to have countless inspiring experiences as they tour the campuses, sit-in on lectures, eat in dining halls, interact with students and admissions representatives and even see the sights in San Francisco.

This is truly a unique and special opportunity for our students and we are so grateful for the generosity of those at District Tours, who provided two full scholarships to help cover the costs of the trip. Trips such as these are incredibly significant for our students because they transform the idea of college into a goal that seems attainable and that they are able to visualize themselves fulfilling, rather than simply a dream that feels distant and abstract. We know that their experiences on this trip will prove to be a great inspiration to Xochitl, Leslie and Aidee as they complete high school and pursue their dreams of studying nursing, medicine and fashion design.

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Announcement

We are half-way through our 100 Campaign.
Thanks to many generous contributors we have raised over $7,000 in 30 days. We are so grateful for the support!

We have the month of April now to fundraise an additional $3,000 to reach our goal of $10,000. Our campaign ends April 30th with a reception at the PAS Gallery in downtown Fullerton. Donate today and be entered in an iPad2 giveaway (winner must be present at the reception).

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Final Note
This month we also hosted our second debrief meeting of the school year, held a workshop on the A-G requirements, and started discussion about establishing a Learning Center in the neighborhood. Great things are happening for the students in our mentoring program. If you'd like to learn more about getting involved with JOYA Scholars please contact Bianca, our Program Director, at biancapena@joyascholars.org or 714.322.JOYA. Thank you!

February 2011

Hello Donors, Mentors & Friends!

February was an exciting and eventful month filled with inspiring opportunities for our students. We hosted our first Student-Mentor-Parent meeting of the school year, toured the campus of UCLA, held a workshop on majors and minors, and started to provide one-on-one tutoring and homework help to our students. Thank you for the contributions that you have made to make each of these opportunities available to our students!

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A Beautiful Day at UCLA

Earlier this month our 9^th and 10^th graders had the opportunity to travel to west Los Angeles to visit the beautiful and historic UCLA campus. On our guided tour of the campus, students received a firsthand look at some of the most important places at the university and learned about the many unique social and academic opportunities that UCLA has to offer. Following the tour, students were able to experience a bit of what life as a UCLA student is like as they enjoyed the amazing all-you-can eat food at Hedrick dining hall.

10^th grader Leslie Contreras, who is interested in studying to become a doctor, was excited to learn about UCLA’s biology program and the opportunity medical students have to work at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Learning about these opportunities was inspiring for many of our students like Leslie who concluded during our debrief time, “I really want to attend UCLA and I’ll work really hard to achieve that goal.”

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Our First Student-Mentor-Parent Meeting
At JOYA Scholars we believe that parental involvement plays a key role in promoting student accountability, motivation, and academic progress and therefore is essential to fulfilling our mission of inspiring and preparing students to succeed in higher education. In order to facilitate parental involvement in the college preparation process we invite the parents of our students to participate in our meetings on a quarterly basis.
This February, we hosted our first Student-Mentor-Parent meeting of the school year, which provided a unique and valuable opportunity for the parents to get to know the mentors in our program and to learn more about what the students have been learning and working on in our past five months together. Mentors talked with the parents about where they attended college, what they studied, and their current occupation. Students then had the opportunity to review their College Ready Plans and College Journey Maps with their parents. Our time together was truly encouraging and impactful as we witnessed the parents’ enthusiasm for our program’s goals and their support of our work.

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Announcement

March 1 marks the kickoff of our spring fundraiser for JOYA Scholars: The 100 Campaign.

Our goal is to have 100 people donate 100 dollars towards the ongoing support of our Mentoring Program.

Please consider being a part of helping us reach this goal by donating to our program or by creating your own fundraising page to invite those you know to donate to our cause!

Click here to learn more about the 100 Campaign, create your own fundraising page, or donate to JOYA Scholars.

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Final Note
Thank you for reading! We trust that you have been encouraged to learn about some of the exciting things that have been happening for the students in our mentoring program. If you'd like to learn more about getting involved with JOYA Scholars please contact Bianca, our Program Director, atbiancapena@joyascholars.org or 714.322.JOYA. Thank you!

December 2010 & January 2011

Group Goals: Promoting Empowerment & Academic Success
One of the exciting changes that we have recently introduced into our program is the establishment of 3 “group goals” which every JOYA Scholars student will be aiming to fulfill in the coming quarter.

The first of these group goals is for every student to meet with their school counselor to discuss their desire to attend college, the colleges they plan to apply to and what they are interested in studying in college. Our second group goal is for every student to discuss each of these three items with their parents. Finally, our third group goal is for each student in our program to raise at least one letter grade in an academic class.

These steps are important for each student to take, as they will facilitate discussion between students and parents about college, allow students to receive valuable feedback from their counselors, and empower students to develop a deeper commitment to their own academic progress. As a result, and with the help of their mentors, they will be better prepared for college success!

Workshops: Clarifying Misconceptions & Providing Encouragement
One of the great things about our workshops is the chance they give our students to receive clarity and encouragement as a group with regard to their misconceptions about college.

At our two recent workshops, students had the opportunity to grow in their knowledge of college admissions and financial aid. Among other things, they learned that different colleges have different requirements to apply, that the "common app" makes it possible to apply to several colleges with one application, thatthey should have a good relationship with at least one of their teachers (for letters of recommendation), that there is no limit to the number of scholarships they can receive, that they do not need to know which college they are going to in order to file the FAFSA and that there are scholarships available for every type of student.

When common misunderstandings are addressed for our students, as they were in our recent workshops, they are significantly encouraged about the accessibility of college. This, along with the support they receive from their mentors, increases their inspiration and motivation to strive for higher education!

Announcements

JOYA Scholars is looking for volunteer tutors! If you are interested in tutoring our students please contact Emily, our Mentor Coordinator, at emilycross@joyascholars.org.

There are a few different ways you can support our program this year. Please check out our recent blogpost, "Investing in Our Students" to find out!

Final Note
We hope that you have been encouraged to learn about the difference your partnership is making in the lives of our students! If you'd like to visit one of our meetings, join us on one of our college visits or mentor with us next year, please contact Bianca, our Program Director, at biancapena@joyascholars.org or 714.322.JOYA. To make a financial contribution to our work in the Garnet neighborhood, please click here: Donate to JOYA Scholars. Thank you!

October & November 2010

Hello Donors, Mentors & Friends!

This past month has given us much to be thankful for. We have had our first college visit of the year, two awesome college workshops, a celebration of our first ten weeks together and more. Thank you all for your past and present support of our work with the students from the Garnet community. As you will see and read below, they are enjoying their experiences in our mentoring program, growing in their understanding of college and looking forward to the next seven months!

In this Update

1. Our First College Visit of the Year: CSUF
2. Students Learn the Basics about College
3. Reflecting on our First 10 Weeks Together
4. Clara C Concert: All Proceeds Benefit JOYA
5. Special Announcements & Final Note

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1. Our First College Visit of the Year: CSUF
Here at JOYA Scholars we believe that one of the best ways that we can inspire our students to pursue higher education is by giving them the opportunity to see firsthand what college is like.Our 9th and 10th graders were able to do just this on our very first college visit of the year to Cal State Fullerton. Students enjoyed a guided tour of the CSUF campus and even had the opportunity to get a unique taste of campus life on our visit to the Titan Student Union, where they enjoyed playing pool, arcade games, and bowling. This firsthand glimpse of CSUF was an inspiring experience to many of our students, who were excited to learn about the opportunities that CSUF and colleges like it offer for hands-on-training, meeting new people, and participating in clubs and sports teams.

Thank you! to all of the mentors, donors, and volunteers who played a part in making our trip to CSUF a meaningful and fun experience for our students.

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2. Students Learn the Basics about College
Every month, we host a college-specific workshop for our students and mentors, where our students learn the fundamentals about college.Our first workshop this year was facilitated by former JOYA mentors, Tony and Kristina Sanchez.Using a family feud style game, they covered the topics, “What is College?” and “The Reasons to go to College”. Students learned the main differences between high school and college, the top ten college majors, the key reasons to go to college and what it means to study abroad and live in the dorms. Jessica Parris partnered with us to facilitateour second workshop on “The Different Types of Colleges and Transferring”. She taught students the seven types of colleges, the main difference between UCs and CSUs, the benefits of attending a community college and the advantages of transferring. We are looking forward to our next workshop in December! Greg Nakata, will be teaching JOYA students about "College Admissions and Picking the Right College".

Thank you! to Tony, Kristina and Jessica for leading the workshops for our students and contributing in significant ways to their understanding of college.

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3. Reflecting on our First 10 Weeks Together
Students and mentors recently celebrated the mark of our first ten weeks together at our Debrief Meeting, where we took time to reflect on our experiences together thus far. Our students provided us with great feedback about how much they have enjoyed learning more about college at our workshops, having the opportunity to ask their mentors questions, and being able to create their own college plans so that they have a better idea of what steps to take next. Students also brainstormed about their dreams and goals for the remaining seven months of our Mentoring Program and shared that they hope to complete their College Ready Plans, get to know their mentors better, and have a plan regarding which college(s) they want to attend. We are so proud of our students and can’t wait to see what the next seven months will bring!

Thank you! to our donors, partners, and friends who have enabled us to share a valuable and inspiring first ten weeks together.

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4. Clara C Concert: All Proceeds Benefit JOYA
For our winter fundraiser this year, we are excited to be hosting our first ever benefit concert! We will be presenting recording artistClara C, a young, skillful singer/songwriter, recently recognized by the OC Register as a You Tube sensation. The concert will be a meet and greet and will also feature live music by the extremely gifted duo, My Parasol, and the talented DJ Nate Haveman! The all ages concert will be held Friday, December 10th, from 8pm to 11pm at the historic Spring Field Center in downtown Fullerton. Tickets are $25 in advance and can be purchased on our website. They are $30 at the door (cash only). All proceeds will benefit JOYA Scholars. We hope you will join us! It’s a great way to contribute to our college-prep mentoring program and, for our former and current mentors, it’s an awesome way to share your involvement with JOYA. Click here to listen to “Offbeat”, a popular song from Clara C’s debut album.

Thank you! to Clara C for generously partnering with us and to all those who will be supporting us by attending the concert!

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5. Special Announcements & Final Note

• JOYA Scholars was featured in the Fullerton Observer two weeks ago! Click here to see the 1-page article.
• December 31st is the last day for financial donations to be considered for 2010 tax deductions.
• We are in need of volunteer tutors and a projector! For more details, click here to view our “Wish List” on our Facebook Fan page.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to visit one of our meetings, join us on one of our college visits, mentor with us next year or have questions or suggestions for us, please contact Bianca, our Program Director, at biancapena@joyascholars.org or 714.322.JOYA. We'd love to hear from you!

Investing in Our Students

As we begin our second half of the school year, students will complete college applications and apply for financial aid, visit the campuses of UCLA, USC, and UCI, attend college-prep workshops, and meet with their mentors for encouragement, guidance, and accountability.

However, 2011 does bring with it its own challenges. We will see some of our pledge commitments winding down. And due to the current economic climate, we hope to expand our still small donor base. All of this when our dreams have never been higher for the program:

• Academic Tutoring: We desire to provide assistance for our best students as well as those needing additional support. This is an immediate need right now for many of the kids.

• Expanded Services: We are considering expanding some of our workshops to all students in the Garnet community as well as similar neighborhoods throughout Fullerton so that JOYA can reach more under-served students with the information they need to prepare for college.

• JOYA Learning Center: Next school year, we would like to secure our own working space in the neighborhood, open throughout the week for homework help, tutoring, meetings, and drop-in assistance. Our current arrangement limits us to one day per week. Our own learning center would provide greater access for students to computers and staff and be an educational focus for the neighborhood.
  

You can be part of all the good that is happening! This is where JOYA needs your help in moving forward:

• BECOME A MONHTLY DONOR: One tax change recently signed by President Obama as part of the stimulus plan reduces employee Social Security Tax by 2% for 2011. This means a person earning $50,000 would have $1,000 additional income for the year. Would you consider contributing a portion of that additional income to JOYA?

We’ve now made it even easier to become a monthly donor through PayPal’s automatic donations (user account not required). Just go to our website (http://www.joyascholars.org/contribute.php) set the dollar amount and time period for your donation and let PayPal do the rest. A fast, easy, secure way to support JOYA throughout the year!

• MATCHING GIFT PROGRAMS: Companies may now be adding or modifying existing programs to provide a way for employees to support worthy causes in these economic times. JOYA recently received monetary gifts and a brand new laptop through such offers. Please consider inquiring with your company to see if they may have similar matching gift programs which can multiply your donation to JOYA.

• PERSONAL NETWORKS: Consider connecting with family and friends who may have interest in supporting an educational organization like JOYA, financially or in some other way. Friends trust other friends when it comes to supporting organizations. Please consider spreading the word!

The needs are great in the Garnet neighborhood. 70% of Latino students from the Placentia/Yorba Linda School District do not graduate from high school. These are our kids. But you can make a difference in their lives. And in doing so, they may make a difference in yours. Please consider helping JOYA Scholars meet its financial goals for 2011. Thank you for making it possible for our students to pursue their dreams!

Thanks to Recent Supporters!

Joya Scholars would like to thank the following people and organizations for their generous support!

• Neal Higa and HP Gift-In-Kind for a brand new laptop! The students and mentors are using it for weekly check-ins with grades and for their college research projects.
• Buffalo Exchange Fullerton for a check of $87. That might not seem like much, but at 5cents a token, that's 1,740 patrons who between June-Dec 2010 chose to forgo a bag for purchases and donated instead to a charity of their choice...JOYA Scholars! Thank you Buffalo Exchange and your thrift and style conscious customers.
• Clara Chung for donating her latest video download proceeds to JOYA! Thank you Clara for your constant support of our students and program. Our girls were thrilled to meet you!