Mount Saint Mary's University Community Student Ambassadors Program
| Grant Information | |
|---|---|
| Categories | Community , Education |
| Location | United States |
| Cycle Year | 2023 |
| Organization Information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name (provided by applicant) | Mount Saint Mary'S University |
| Organization Name (provided by automatic EIN validation) |
|
| EIN | 95-1641455 |
| Website | www.msmu.edu |
| Contact Information | |
|---|---|
| Contact Name | Mr. Braden Hammer |
| Phone | 2134772532 |
| bhammer@msmu.edu | |
| Address |
10 Chester Place, Building 8
Los angeles
CA
90007
|
| Additional Information | |
|---|---|
| Used for | Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) respectfully requests a grant of $10,000 from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation in support of our Community Student Ambassadors Program. Established 22 years ago, the Ambassadors program provides support, guidance, and inspiration for youth in under-resourced Los Angeles-area middle and high schools and after-school programs to pursue a college education. Peer mentoring and academic assistance services are provided by current MSMU undergraduate students known as Ambassadors. |
| Benefits | Ambassadors inspire and empower diverse young women from underrepresented backgrounds attending under-resourced schools and after-school programs. In turn, the program enables Ambassadors to grow their leadership and communication skills reinforce their own commitment to academic success. The recent pandemic highlighted and exacerbated challenges faced by students in Los Angeles-area schools, and continued support from the Dougherty Foundation would have a positive impact in surmounting these challenges in our communities. |
| Proposal Description | BACKGROUND: As a Catholic university primarily for women, MSMU is inspired by the legacy of our founders in our dedication to providing a quality education enhanced by an emphasis on building leadership skills and fostering a spirit to serve others. The University’s measure of success is graduates who are committed to using their knowledge and skills to better themselves, their environments, and the world. MSMU is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. Approximately half our undergraduate students are the first in their family to go to college. In recent guides to “Best Colleges,” MSMU is ranked #1 in Social Mobility among regional western universities by U.S. News & World Report and #3 in MONEY Magazine’s ranking of Most Transformative Colleges nationwide. THE NEED: The majority of students served by MSMU’s Ambassador program are Latinx, live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area and are from families facing significant financial challenges. Their parents often work multiple jobs and lack the time and prior experience to assist their children in the college preparation and application process. To help students navigate these obstacles, we train and assign current MSMU undergraduates, known as Ambassadors, to area middle and high schools and community youth organizations to assist onsite counselors in advising students about the college search, application, and financial aid process. Through this program, MSMU students develop their own leadership skills and realize their commitment to community service, while earning a stipend to help meet their financial need as university students. THE BENEFICIARIES: The majority of students served by the Ambassador program live in low-income neighborhoods in south and central Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, and often come from families lacking a college-bound culture. The Student Ambassador Program utilizes peers who are often assigned to partner locations in the same neighborhood in which they grew up—sometimes even the same school they attended—thereby serving as powerful role models for the younger students they engage. Additionally, the program has a strong partnership with high school college counselors. Many counselors have expressed their belief that the program enables them to better meet the needs of their first-generation college-bound students. In many cases, Ambassadors collaborate with the counselors on their existing caseload. MSMU’s Student Affairs team meets with counselors each year, and they share information on student progress. They frequently express thanks to MSMU for providing this impactful program to students and their families, and that they (the counselors) cannot imagine what they would do without our collaboration. In addition, the program has a positive impact on the Ambassadors themselves, contributing greatly to their leadership skills and reinforcing their own pursuit of academic excellence. KEY ACTIVITIES: Ambassadors are full-time traditional undergraduates enrolled at MSMU. They receive comprehensive training before they are assigned to a partner site so that they fully understand college admissions requirements and financial aid policies. This supplements their own knowledge gained after going through the college admission and financial aid process themselves. They are trained in multicultural issues, and interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills. Ambassadors work 10 to 15 hours per week at an assigned site, which is either a school or a nonprofit-based after-school program. Ambassadors work directly with partner site staff to provide information and consistent mentorship to students to guide them through the necessary steps in applying for college and seeking financial support for their education. In addition, they provide greatly needed one-on-one assistance with homework, college application forms, and other college concerns students may have. All Ambassadors receive NASPA’s Certified Peer Educator (CPE) Training (see attached curriculum). Ambassadors receive ongoing guidance and mentorship through monthly training sessions and one-on-one meetings with program managers and their site supervisors. Continued emphasis will be placed helping to develop the interpersonal communication and relationship skills of the students they engage. As described last year in our report on the December 2022 grant, during the pandemic, area students spent a large portion of their development years in an online “remote” world. Vital interpersonal skills that would have developed in normal times were not developed during the pandemic. Ambassadors will continue to work with their students on building their interpersonal skills. For example, Ambassadors will continue to co-develop scripts with their students, so when students contact admissions department staff at prospective colleges and universities, they can more articulately and successfully engage with them. Current and past partner locations include: A Place Called Home (South Central Los Angeles); Alexandria House, Bishop Conaty – Our Lady of Loretto High School (Koreatown); Crenshaw High School; Downtown Magnet High School; Franklin High School (Highland Park); Immaculate Conception (downtown); Manual Arts High School (South Los Angeles); Sacred Heart (Lincoln Heights); Santa Monica Police Activities League; St. Mary's Academy (Inglewood); and Variety Boys and Girls Club (Boyle Heights). Ambassadors also engage with the community beyond their assigned sites. Planned engagements for spring 2023 include the MSMU President’s Invitation to Serve, Alexandria House Walkathon, A Place Called Home Day of Service, and more. Planned engagements for fall 2024 include a campus visit from Los Angeles-area Girl Scouts to learn about the college admissions process; similar on-campus events for students from St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood and Sacred Heart Academy in Boyle Heights; and a school supplies drive at Alexandria House in collaboration with MSMU Campus Ministry. We also intend to grow our partnership with Alexandria House, utilizing our assigned Ambassador at this site to help coordinate volunteer days there for other Ambassadors and MSMU’s general student body. EVALUATION: The Student Ambassador Program is housed in the Division of Student Affairs. Student Affairs staff oversee the Ambassadors, the overall implementation of the program, and evaluate the program in several ways:
BUDGET: The program’s FY24 budget is $132,060. The proposed grant from the Foundation will help pay for MSMU’s current corps of Ambassadors including one to two student managers in 2024, as Ambassadors produce and conduct weekly workshops, outreach presentations, and individualized tutoring and academic counseling to hundreds of youth in underserved communities. MSMU allocates approximately $5,000 per Ambassador per year ($2,500/semester), based on an hourly rate. For the current semester as of this submission—fall 2023—the program has eight Ambassadors, including two student managers with their own site assignments in addition to manager duties. One manager is scheduled to graduate from MSMU in December, leaving us with seven in the program including one manager; for spring 2024 we intend to retain our one still-enrolled manager and recruit three new Ambassadors, for a total crew of 10. Another important budget item is support for Ambassadors’ transportation to partner sites. Coming as they do from low-income families, many Ambassadors lack their own transportation, and rely on public transit and rideshare apps to travel to their assigned sites. Grant funds will support Ambassadors’ transportation to partner sites as needed. The program budget also includes the cost of certified peer educator training; supplies for Ambassador presentations and workshops at partner sites; food and supplies for Ambassador training retreats (once per semester); Ambassador uniform shirts and jackets; and Ambassador padfolios. The program also maintains two internet hotspots which Ambassadors may use to work in the field. REQUEST: A $10,000 grant from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation for the Student Ambassador Program would make a positive impact in the program’s success. The financial impact of the recent pandemic continues to be felt by previous funders of the program who are still unable to renew their funding, which has limited our ability to partner with as many sites as we would wish. We are deeply grateful for the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation’s past support; a full, end-of-year report on the impact of the Foundation’s previous grant is pending. Thank you for the positive impact you have made in the lives of MSMU students, and the students they support and inspire. Attachments:
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