The VIP Scholars Program includes academic-year and summer programming. VIPS programming is designed within a social justice framework that seeks to both increase students’ academic competitiveness and challenge students to think critically about the world around them.

Each year during spring semester, we recruit a cohort of 35-50 high school sophomores to participate in a two-year VIPS experience. The experience begins with a 3-week summer residential program at UCLA that includes

• an intensive writing course (4 college units)
• community advocacy training
• culturally relevant workshops and field trips
• critical film discussions
• community-building activities
• holistic mentoring

Students who successfully complete the 3-week summer program and remain academically competitive during junior year return the next summer for the 5-week summer residential program. The 5-week summer residential program includes

• enrollment in two UCLA courses: Critical Issues in Education (4 college units) and a STEM or Social Science seminar (1 college unit)
• UC Admissions workshops led by UCLA admissions staff
• Brown Bag dialogues with UCLA faculty and departments
• culturally relevant workshops and field trips
• critical film discussions
• holistic mentoring

Students who successfully complete the 5-week summer residential program earn 5 college units and are eligible for a $20,000 scholarship should they enroll at UCLA after high school.

During junior and senior years, VIPS provides students with weekly academic mentoring at their high school. Additionally, students and families attend quarterly Saturday Academies at UCLA with a parent/guardian/supportive adult. Some topics explored during Saturday Academies are competitive eligibility, preparing for college life, financial aid and scholarships, college choice and major, and turning a passion into a career.

Buddy Days

Buddy Days give high school students outside of our VIPS cohorts the unique opportunity to experience being a UCLA student for a day. Each high school student is paired with a UCLA student within their field of interest to shadow for the day. The high school students attend UCLA classes and meetings, get an exclusive campus tour, and visit the residential halls with their UCLA buddy. High school students gain valuable insight from their UCLA buddy and other undergraduate students throughout the day.

All VIPS programming is FREE including all food, field trips and materials!

The VIPS Day One program is an expansion of our current VIPS model that allows us to dedicate more time and effort to serving and supporting the processes of recruitment, application, retention and completion of the VIPS program for young men of color. Day One focuses specifically on developing research-based best practices to bolster holistic Black male success through academic advising and early college exposure.

Day One has its own dedicated staff of undergraduate mentors for each school site who

• provide one-on-one and group mentoring
• ensure students are enrolled in A-G courses and are taking necessary steps toward academic competitiveness
• share college prep resources
• work to form supportive relationships with key stakeholders at each school
• create specialized programming for 9th grade Black males
• organize Buddy Day field trips for students to tour UCLA and spend the day with current undergraduates
• collect data to inform overall Day One programming

KINGS Summer

Day One also has its own summer residential component, Kulturally Influencing Ninth Grade Scholars (KINGS) Summer. We hosted our inaugural KINGS Summer cohort of 25 students from our 10 partner high schools in Summer 2019. KINGS Summer consists of

• 3-day overnight stay in UCLA residential halls
• intensive workshops focused on building English/Language Arts and STEM skills
• networking with entrepreneurs, creatives, and UCLA staff, faculty and alumni
• community-building activities

We are always looking for creative ways to partner with other educators, programs and organizations to better serve young men of color. Please feel free to reach out to vips@college.ucla.edu if you would like learn more about Day One.

Since the inaugural VIPS cohort, 100% of VIPS students graduate from high school and go on to enroll at an institution of higher education. 79% of students attend 4-year public institutions–with 53% attending UCLA–while 18% attend 4-year private institutions and the remaining 3% attend community colleges. Our goal is to ensure all of our students feel supported no matter what college they choose to attend and are immediately connected with resources and stakeholders on their chosen campus.

The VIPS Retention Program supports VIP Scholars’ retention through college by partnering with campus leaders committed to supporting students of color and providing opportunities for students to consistently engage with the VIP Scholars Program. The VIPS Retention Program is committed to providing guidance in navigating institutional structures, creating a sustainable culture of active engagement of students, and encouraging a culture that is student-centered and facilitates and celebrates VIP Scholars’ success.

Since 2017, our Retention Coordinator has been able to visit and support our students at

Barnard College
California State University, Northridge
Loyola Marymount University
New York University
Pasadena City College
San Diego State University
Santa Monica College
Tulane University
UC Berkeley
UC Irvine
UC Riverside
UC Santa Cruz
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Wesleyan University

and has hosted events to engage our students throughout the school year and during school breaks. Our retention coordinator has also worked to create relationships with stakeholders at every campus one of our students attends.

If you are a former VIPS high school student or a college campus leader, please feel free to connect with our Retention Coordinator, Jerzy Messan, at jmessan@college.ucla.edu

Resources:

Pasadena list of virtual tours

English/Language Arts

Languages Other Than English: Duolingo, Conjueguemos

History/Social Science: Khan Academy-Humanities, The Crash Course

Sciences