Dear Students, Scholars, Mentors, Alumni and Community Members, 

This past month the College Access and Completion Team celebrated Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and reconnected with our scholars through scholar docs and survey submission reflecting a theme of the spirit of participation, service, and action. Team members volunteered at a food pantry, canvased area businesses to spread awareness of Oakland Promise, conducted workshops, hosted panels for the Black College Expo week, recruited mentors, and marched at the Black Joy Parade. 

Through workshops and conference attendance, staff continued to build knowledge on the best ways to support scholars and mentors through personal development opportunities. We will all build the expertise we need to thoughtfully review the curriculum, our scholar needs, and fidelity to our strategic plan. We continue to build on systems and leverage technology to streamline our processes, improve quality and increase engagement. 

The Oakland Promise College Access and Completion Team remains committed to providing the best possible services and resources to all of our stakeholders and to keep engagement and program buy-in high! We will continue to assess how we support all of our stakeholders in the coming months and tweak our programming accordingly.

We look towards March with excitement, optimism, and a sense of new beginnings.

Sincerely,

Sandra Ernst 
Sr. Director College Access & Completion

Oakland Promise is excited to be bringing in the new month celebrating Womxn's History. Black history, womxn's history, and other important stories and experiences of our communities deserve to be celebrated every month of every year. Thank you to all of the mamas, grandmothers, sisters, aunties, and daughters in our life. You are a blessing. You are the future. You are the now. Oakland Promise is committed to increase equity and access for the communities that we serve. Thank you for being a part of our community. 

Click the links below for additional updates from our Oakland Promise Programs

2022 Black College Expo & HBCU Caravan 

Representatives from over twenty HBCUs from across the nation joined us for the 2022 Oakland Black College Expo! The HBCU Caravan stopped by Castlemont High, Fremont High, Oakland High, and Skyline High to admit students and award scholarships on the spot with a complimentary lunch provided by Everrett & Jones. Saturday, students from across Oakland and the Bay Area met with HBCU representatives, celebrated Black organizations, participated in dance competitions, won raffle prizes, and so much more! Thank you to everyone who joined us for such an amazing week of events. 

FAFSA/CA Dream Act Deadline: Today, March 2nd

Oakland Promise Scholarship Deadline: Monday, March 7th

Oakland Promise Office Hours: Wednesday - Friday, 3:30 - 5 PM | Zoom Link: tinyurl.com/moneyresides

Volunteers for Scholarship Review Needed 

Sign up to be an Oakland Promise Scholarship Reader and Interviewer!

• Deadline to Sign-Up: March 9th, 2022
• Reading Applications: March 11th - 18th 
• Interviewing Applicants: April 2nd, April 4th- 8th 

Questions? Email scholarships@oaklandpromise.org 

See below for information on different resources to benefit you and our community. If you would like to share a resource, please email jazz@oaklandpromise.org

Questions regarding middle or high school students, OUSD, or parents/guardians?

Questions regarding undergraduate scholars, mentors or alumni?

In community,

The College Access and Completion Team