It has been a busy summer for Fulfillment Fund’s Programs team. Over the 45 years Fulfillment Fund has been serving the students of Los Angeles, we have always known that the secret to our success is the meaningful relationships that we build with them. When Covid-19 forced our staff into the virtual space to work with our students, we were creative and thoughtful in how to keep those relationships strong. Now, with Covid-induced distance learning firmly in the rear-view mirror, we are so excited to continue to re-ignite and broaden our in-person services with our high school and college students this summer and fall with more creative new ways to engage.
In our College Access Program, we created our Ready for College Summer Institute, which is four days long for each session. Over two summer sessions, a total of 150 rising seniors will have participated. The sessions were meticulously created by our College Access team, led by our amazing team of College Counselors, and supported by staff from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Fulfillment Fund college students and alumni, along with our own College Success Advisors. Programming for the sessions helps students get to know themselves better, learn about the myriad of opportunities available through different postsecondary options, and create a list of colleges that are the best fit for them. Each day features a series of experiential learning activities where students work collaboratively to prepare for the fall college application season. It is an intense and exciting four days, where students come together to learn from experts from the field and build relationships with each other along with the Fulfillment Fund team. The programming helps students sharpen skills and improve their understanding of the college admissions process and provides a special opportunity for students to enter the fall semester armed with the knowledge they need to be effective throughout the college application season. Students who attend the Summer Institute are prepared to participate in the college admissions process and they have the full strength of Fulfillment Fund behind them to help them every step of the way.
The College Success Program has focused on creating more opportunities for in-person services to our college students, with our team’s visits to college campuses as a key component of our expanded programming. We are excited to formally launch our new partnership with Los Angeles City College, where our College Success Advisor who serves our community college students will have an office on campus and meet weekly with our students to provide one-on-one advisement, presentations and workshops on topics to support student success, and to serve as a guide to help our students connect with the many resources available to them through the campus. Having a designated home on the LACC campus for our staff gives Fulfillment Fund students attending LACC the knowledge that support from someone they trust and a place to drop in and get some advice is now always available on campus. Students attending our local CSU and UC campuses will receive biweekly or monthly visits from our Advisors, giving them a chance to meet in person, and receive guidance on any challenges they are facing. These visits allow our team members to build connections with students in a way that deepens their relationship far beyond what the virtual space they usually inhabit will allow. With Advisors sitting at the campus library or coffee shop, our college students can drop by for a few minutes or hours and take advantage of the opportunity to work with their Advisor while chatting with other Fulfillment Fund students attending the same college. These visits create camaraderie and connections between our students and College Advisors who serve them.
Throughout the past year, our students have told us how much they value the guidance and support Fulfillment Fund staff have provided. Being able to deliver in-person support once again is a special opportunity we are pleased and grateful to have.