Former scholars, Maria
Isabel Pelayo and Milagro Romero, come back as mentors to teach
7th graders in the program how to bowl.
"What a better way to honor the Partnership Scholars Program
and Dr. Langer's generosity than to come back and donate time to
the very program that has given me so much?" Maria Isabel Pelayo
Partnership Scholar Alumni (2002), active
mentor and working toward her Masters in Education at Pepperdine
University
The reality of the effort and determination required to accomplish
my dreams never fully hit me until I became a member of the Partnership
Scholars Program… Partnership Scholars guided me toward New
York where the city captivated me with its wondrous sights, dazzling
lights, and boisterous sounds that pushed me to believe that I have
the power to be everything I want to be and more.” Claudia Preciado
Partnership Scholar Alumni (2008)
Sophomore at Stanford University
“This scholarship took me from a shy and quiet seventh grader to a poised
and confident senior. The trips I took with my mentor were elemental in showing
me a different world, a world where graffiti didn’t loom in the distance
and where success was possible” Maryell Hernandez
Partnership Scholar Alumni (2007)
Junior at Harvard
University
“The 16th was the best day of the trip, if not the best day of all of the
trips. When we got up in the
morning, I had no idea what visiting a prestigious university was like, as I
had never visited one before. But after visiting Stanford, I want to visit more
universities.” Vincent Longo
Partnership Scholars
11th Grade Mendocino High School
Reflections
from the Regional Coordinator,
Meg Sanchez
I feel very privileged to have been part of the
Partnership Scholars’ Program since its inception in Lennox in
1996. We started with just one site and seven students and currently
there are over 450 students in 22 participating schools at more than
twenty five sites.
The mentoring that children receive throughout the six years impacts
their lives in many powerful ways. When scholars’ experiences
include educational and cultural visits, their world literally opens
up. New environments, when experienced with a mentor, are no longer
frightening or “off limits”, and these experiences gradually
result in confidence and independence.
Partnership Scholars come to fully realize that there is no limit to
what they can do with their lives when education is a focus. Glory
is so often given to the athlete; here we give a strong message that
being a scholar merits glory and much more.
One of the most compelling results of the program is that our students
become increasingly more curious and see themselves as capable of satisfying
that curiosity. It becomes apparent that the college experience is
essential and that it is clearly within their reach.
