EVERY
ST E P O F
T H E WAY
Students Rising Above helps
guide our youth from high
school to college, and
then a career
By Matt Larson
Website jobfair.
The job market of 2018 is more competitive than ever,
and not having a college degree makes the hunt even
more difficult. Still, many young adults don’t even consider
college as a viable option; not because they don’t want to
go, but because they feel it’s impossible.
Financial constraints, bad grades, familial responsibilities
… any number of obstacles can stand in between a student
and his or her future. If you are, or know, a student who
feels they simply can’t consider college—consider again
with the help, guidance, and support, of Students Rising
Above (SRA).
“Since roughly 1998, we have been really excited about
getting first-generation, low-income students to and
through not only college, but into the workforce,” said
SRA’s Executive Director Carolina Martín. “Each year we
accept roughly 75 students, and each is given a ‘portfolio’
of support.”
This includes a designated advisor, who will remain
as such for the next five years; a health navigator to help
ensure they’ll have health benefits before going to college;
a social mentor to help coach them through any social
obstacles, from fitting in to moving in; financial assistance
to fill in any gaps not covered by aid or scholarships; and
finally, SRA’s Career Development Team will help them
find their place in the workforce.
“Out of the 835+ students we’ve served, 91% graduate
from college and 78% enter career-ladder jobs, or graduate
school, within 12 months of graduation,” Martín said.
Based in San Francisco, SRA has accepted students from
nine Bay Area counties, 20% of which have come from
Richmond or Contra Costa County. One student from
Richmond graduated from Sonoma State University thanks
Zenay Clemmons & Zaria Clemmons
to SRA and now has a job in the tech industry focusing
on talent acquisition. Another Richmond local with
SRA, who had once been homeless, is now attending UC
Berkeley pursuing a degree in public health.
Few programs, if any, provide such an all-encompassing
service as SRA, but sometimes that’s the only way
to ensure success. “We have students that have major
adversity,” Martín said. “When they go away to college, one
slight failure or challenging situation could trigger them
to think, ‘I don’t belong here.’ So our job is really about
getting them to and through college, and then into a career
path.”
Students can really end up developing a strong bond
with their advisor, who may also play the role of a friend,
even a parent. “One of our advisors knew that his student
was going to drive to UC Merced and move in by himself,
so he drove him all the way to make sure he had a great
move-in experience,” Martín said. “Some of our advisors
have walked some of our students down the aisle, or have
been there when their children were born … these are
lifelong relationships and, in some cases, these are the first
real love/parent experiences these students have ever had.”
studentsrisingabove.org | (415) 333-4222