Pictured (from left) are Kinikia Davis, Chaitanya Moghe, Coleen Maldonado and Thu Nguyen.
T he California Student Opportunity and Access Program is a state-legislated program established in 1978 to serve low income, first-generation students and/or students attending schools with traditionally low college-going rates. Its mission is to help students improve academic performance and make information about postsecondary education and financial aid more widely available.
In 2005, the Greater Long Beach Regional Cal-SOAP Consortium was formed at CSULB to provide direct academic and college awareness services to eligible students in local elementary, middle and high schools. Cal-SOAP director Coleen Maldonado began building relationships within the education community and focused on collaborative planning. “We went to high schools and asked them to tell us where the gaps were and to identify the largest group of students not being served,” says Maldonado. “It turned out that the largest group were kids in the middle—those who were on track for high school graduation and most likely to go to a community college or those who were undecided about what they were going to do after high school.”
To reach this group “in the middle,” the consortium developed a two-pronged approach. The first strategy brings college students to high schools to work with counselors, helping students one-on-one or in small groups to create educational plans. “Most of our college advisors are from the same communities they are working in, so high school students feel they can relate to them,” Maldonado shares. The second approach is participating in district-wide efforts through existing partnerships as well as new ones, with other college access programs, district leaders and high school counselors to help “share the load.”
The Greater Long Beach Regional Cal-SOAP program is governed by a consortium of public agencies, including community colleges, university, community and school district representatives. The Long Beach Cal-SOAP serves students in grades 4-12 attending schools in the Long Beach Unified, Compton Unified and Whittier Union school districts. Students receive services such as one-on-one individualized college advising, tutoring, classroom workshops on college and academic topics, college tours and parent education events.
