ALUMNI SUPPORT
Since most of our students are the first in their families to go to college, our alumni support program helps them navigate the sometimes rocky waters of college life. We maintain a strong connection with our alumni with a full-time alumni director who provides academic support and advising, assistance with financial aid issues, and personal counseling and mentoring. Maintaining this close connection keeps our alumni involved with Eastside, which helps us learn how we can better prepare our students for the realities of college life, and provides role models for our current students.
Our students will also be the first in their families to navigate the professional world. We have created the Career Pathways Program which provides our alumni with the professional capital to launch a successful career. The program is comprised of four parts: summer internships with area businesses for our alumni, workplace shadow days for our high school seniors, professional development workshops, and a mentoring program that matches alumni with industry professionals (more details here). To learn how you can support our students through these programs, contact April Alvarez at (650) 688-0850 x119 or by email aprila@eastside.org.
We are proud of the fact that 80% of our alumni are either in four-year college or have graduated, in comparison with a sobering nationwide statistic indicating that just 11% of first-generation college students graduates from college. Today, over 284 Eastside alumni are in college or graduate school or have embarked on their careers. Their stories motivate us to continue expanding opportunities for students whose successes are creating a ripple effect in this community and around the country.
