The YMCA of the East Bay is grateful to have received several grants to support the Y-Scholars Program, thanks to the following funders - Ross Store Foundation and The Barrios Trust.
The Y-Scholars program aims to provide equitable access to first-generation college-seeking youth by providing a comprehensive support system to help students achieve their goal of attaining a postsecondary college education. This 4-year college readiness program guides Y-Scholars to attend workshops, individual coaching, and tutoring sessions to make progress on their college pathway and improve their student success skills. Since the Y-Scholars program was formed as a partnership between the YMCA of the East Bay, UC Berkeley, and Berkeley High School in 2000, over 600 scholars have gone on to pursue a postsecondary college education. Many Y-Scholars alumni return to the program as mentors for current Y-Scholars; their lived experiences often help to establish strong connections as first-generation Y-Scholars navigate their college-bound pathways.
Watch Alumna Y-Scholar Estrella’s share her story on how Y-Scholars impacted her educational goals