Around 45 families of Santa Monica and Malibu high school freshmen attended an information session on the Young Collegians (YC) program last week at Santa Monica High School, according to a press release by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD).
Established in 2008 as a partnership between the SMMUSD and Santa Monica College (SMC), Young Collegians is a resource for high schoolers — many of whom would be first-generation college students — to progress on the path to college.Â
This year’s prospects would enter the program this summer, following their freshman year, as part of cohort nine. Students in the program take a selection of courses each summer with the goal of having at least 14 units that can be transferred to SMC or another collegiate institution by the time of their high school graduation. The program also strives for students to envision themselves as college-goers who have a start on their path to college.
One hundred students have graduated from high school through the program since its conception, with 62 more currently on track. The 19 students who graduated last year now attend SMC and other community colleges, as well as four-year universities, including University of California, Berkeley; California State University, Northridge; University of California, Riverside and other colleges.