A Decade of Scholarship
“ We exist to support our students and to make sure they get everything they need to thrive at UC San Diego . We have five full-time staff members and more than 60 students serving as mentors and program assistants to ensure that any problem or issue that students have gets addressed .”
two years if they are a transfer student — at the university with what amounts to an annual award of $ 10,000 .
CASP launched with three partner high schools in San Diego : The Preuss School UC San Diego , Gompers Preparatory Academy , and Lincoln High School . Through this partnership , all qualified admitted students from these schools were guaranteed financial and academic support . With continued philanthropic support from donors , CASP expanded its reach and now supports qualified admitted students from a total of eight partnership high schools , adding Hoover , Morse , e3 Civic , Crawford and San Diego ,
— Belinda Zamacona , director , Chancellor ' s Associates Scholars Program
along with qualified transfer students from Southwestern , Imperial Valley , and San Diego City colleges . Additionally , members of the San Diego-based nonprofit organization , Reality Changers , who also participate in the university ’ s Academic Connections program and are admitted to UC San Diego , also receive the scholarship . CASP additionally honors an open nomination process : Nonprofit organizations can nominate up to two qualified students from other high schools or community colleges . The scholarship is also awarded to students from San Diego and Imperial counties who are registered members of federally recognized Native
American tribes .
In 2014 , Belinda Zamacona was hired as director of CASP and given an ambitious charge — to build and implement a solid and comprehensive retention program that would enable the students who received a Chancellor ’ s Associates scholarship to thrive over their years at UC San Diego .
“ Creating the scholarship program was a fabulous idea ,” says Zamacona . “ But it was just as important to create a support network that would arm students with the knowledge and resources they would need to effectively navigate the campus .”
And it appears that Zamacona has accomplished just that . CASP now includes a vigorous peer mentor program that engages students from the outset , giving them access to a wide range of services and activities — from internships and summer session programs to faculty assistance and academic support . And because the peer mentor program is coordinated by current CASP recipients , they are very familiar with the unique challenges new students are likely to encounter .
CASP also includes a variety of small and focused learning communities that can support students when they need to make important decisions related to their academic experiences .
“ We exist to support our students and to make sure they get everything they need to thrive at UC San Diego ,” says Zamacona . “ We have five full-time staff members and more than 60 students serving as mentors and program assistants to ensure that any problem or issue that students have gets addressed .”
And because CASP has created a nurturing and supportive community for its students , it ’ s not surprising that some choose to stay and work at UC San Diego after graduation .
CASP recipient Nirvana Navarro ’ 17 , a transfer student from Imperial College , is a financial analyst at UC San Diego who recently completed her first year of graduate school at San Diego State University . “ I will never forget how CASP staff encouraged me to keep dreaming and to dream big ,” says Navarro . She credits staff members like Karen Van Ness , MA ’ 97 with guiding her experience as an undergraduate . “ I wasn ’ t sure I fit in , and I was ready to withdraw ,” says Navarro . “ However , under the patient guidance of Karen , I was able to weather the ups and downs and find my true calling .” •
To learn more about CASP , visit casp . ucsd . edu
UC SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE 49