About College Is Real

College Is Real helps students in Richmond, California become the first in their families to attend and graduate from college.  Our program provides education, motivation, resources and support to low-income, minority (predominantly Latino) students who demonstrate academic potential and have college aspirations.  We succeed by having each of our students participate in a mentoring program, awarding college scholarships and having a professional program director on-site at our Richmond schools who provides academic counseling, college application assistance and more.

College Is Real’s need is real. Since the program’s founding in 2005, our program has grown from 16 members in our inaugural year to almost 500 members served annually at the three Richmond public high schools, plus over 150-200 students annually enrolled in college. 

As we considered how to make our program even better, we see the need to get to our students earlier and to stay with them longer. This will start with the extension of our program to the 8th graders in the middle schools that feed into our three high schools. Aside from ensuring an engaged group of students continuing in the CIR program once they enter high school, these 8th graders will benefit from our focusing them on the importance of strong academic performance, taking the appropriate middle school and high school courses, summer reading, and developing curiosity about college and careers. 

We have also seen that our students who are in college continue to need guidance and financial support that often is hard to get on with large college student bodies needing services. Implementing a “College Success Program” for our graduating seniors as they pursue a college degree will ensure that they achieve an effective transition, that they persevere through what is oftentimes a challenging freshman year, persist through to graduation, and are prepared for the pursuit of meaningful career opportunities.

Learn more and watch our video at www.collegeisreal.org.