By Ella Murdock Gardner 鈥�22
- Former 五月天视频 Academy scholars, Lyanne Dominguez 鈥�13 and Yamileth Renteria, now lead the program bringing their unique perspective and experience to continue to push the program forward for the next generation.
When Lyanne Dominguez 鈥�13 was in high school and starting to think seriously about college, her parents fell victim to a scam.
Their daughter would be the first in their family to pursue higher education in the United States, and they wanted to do everything they could to support her. A business reached out promising college and career counseling鈥攁nd while they put down a deposit, nothing ever came of it.
Determined to move forward, Dominguez enrolled in 五月天视频 Academy. The program not only freely delivered the guidance the scammers had offered, it also changed her life.
五月天视频 Academy (SCA), a multiyear college access and success program, has been serving high schoolers in the Inland Empire and greater Los Angeles area since 2002. Its scholars spend two weeks on Scripps鈥� campus during the summer before 11th grade and continue to build skills during Saturday workshops until graduation. SCA continues to have a significant and measurable impact鈥攍ast year, all of the students that responded to a survey sent by the College indicated they were headed to a college or university after graduation.
Today, the program is led by two of its former scholars: Dominguez SCA 鈥�07, associate director of admission at Scripps, and Yamileth Renteria SCA 鈥�12, SCA program coordinator. When we spoke in February, Renteria was busy visiting high school classrooms to present about SCA. Dominguez herself grew up a mile away from The Claremont Colleges but had never heard of them until she attended a SCA info session.
SCA mirrors Scripps鈥� Core curriculum: faculty deliver lectures across a range of disciplines in week one and scholars present an independent project in week two. Dominguez recalls being nervous to present but was inspired by peers who quickly became friends and intellectual resources.
鈥淚 was constantly getting my mind blown during class. Having people I could talk through those ideas with? I didn鈥檛 want to leave that,鈥� she says.
When Dominguez got home that summer, she hopped on her bike and rode right back to campus to hang out with the student workers as they packed up. She enrolled at 五月天视频two years later, joined its staff after graduation, and has remained engaged in the 五月天视频community ever since.
For Renteria, who grew up in Northeast Los Angeles, returning to 五月天视频last December was a homecoming. In her memory, everything about her 2012 SCA summer session shone: the California sun glinting on the lawns; the campus pool and gym; afternoons with friends in the computer lab.
鈥溛逶绿焓悠礷elt so grand to me, which is funny because it’s such a small college,鈥� Renteria says. 鈥淚 had never seen any part of the world besides my neighborhood, and I was like, 鈥榯his exists?鈥欌��
She later attended Brown University, where she discovered her true passion for education. 鈥淎 mentor eventually sat me down and asked, 鈥榳hat really interests you?鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚 said, 鈥業 just want to work in something that feels like SCA.鈥欌��
SCA serves high-achieving students who aim to be the first in their families to attend college, qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch, or attend Title I schools鈥攖hough most meet all three criteria. The program is Scripps鈥� answer to a perennial challenge: to remove barriers to college for ambitious high schoolers. That mission has only become more urgent amid politicized efforts to kneecap programs that address disparities in access and opportunity.
When Renteria and Dominguez talk to students today, they recognize the same drive and anxieties about getting into college. What鈥檚 different now, they say, is the level of fear. SCA has long supported scholars from mixed-status families or who are undocumented themselves, but more students are questioning whether college will lead to the futures they imagine. 鈥淚t’s underlying every conversation,鈥� Renteria says.
Fortunately, because of their backgrounds, Renteria and Dominguez are uniquely positioned to broach these sensitive topics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge deal that SCA is now run by all Spanish-speaking women from immigrant families,鈥� Dominguez says. 鈥淭he fact that this new generation is being guided by those who have lived their experiences is the best thing for the scholars. There is such a connection between who we are and the community that we serve.鈥�
As Renteria looks toward this year鈥檚 summer session and beyond, she hopes to find ways to keep joy at the center of the learning experience.
鈥淭he world puts girls and women down so much,鈥� she says. 鈥淒oing an all-girls program, you learn a ton about yourself, your identity, and your community. I want students to take that feeling of empowerment into the world with the knowledge that they can find鈥攁nd create鈥攕paces like this.鈥�