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Minds Matter Bay Area Opens San Jose Site to Empower Low-Income Students to Succeed in College and Beyond
At the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose booms with potential. Finding great talent will be essential to continue to fuel San Jose and Silicon Valley as a global leader in innovation.
However, talented students without access to the right resources can be left behind. For students who come from low-income households or will be the first in their family to attend college, navigating the intricacies of the U.S. college system is a daunting task. Mentorship is critical to ensure high-achieving students attend colleges that can unlock their potential.
Mary Wu is a founding volunteer leader of Minds Matter Bay Area’s San Jose site, which is on track to launch this fall. Minds Matter Bay Area (MMBay) addresses the challenge of college undermatching, which is where high-achieving, low-income students like Wu once was, don’t attend selective colleges at the same rate as their wealthier peers.
Wu grew up in San Jose, the only child of immigrant parents. Wu’s parents were adjusting to a new country, so it was up to her to navigate the intricacies of college admission. “I remember wishing for a support system to guide me on the right educational path,” Wu said.
MMBay students — compared with peers from similar backgrounds — are 25 times as likely to attend a selective college that prepares them for their career and beyond.
But many students lack mentors to help guide them through this process. Minds Matter Bay Area’s program is helping solve this issue.
MMBay, an educational nonprofit, bridges the gap for ambitious students from low-income backgrounds. By providing mentorship, preparation, and opportunities, MMBay empowers these students to thrive in college, shape their futures, and make a positive impact on the world.
In 2022, Minds Matter San Francisco boldly rebranded as Minds Matter Bay Area, signaling its commitment to expand beyond the city limits. Now, in 2024, MMBay is making good on that promise by launching a site in San Jose—a city teeming with potential and ripe for positive change.
Recalling her own challenges navigating the school and college system alone, Wu said, “When I learned about MMBay’s plan to launch a site in San Jose, I knew I had to be involved.”
San Jose: Homegrown Talent Abounds
San Jose is the global leader in innovation. They city’s booming industry lies juxtaposed with poverty. And for talented low-income students, it is tough to understand the pathways to colleges and careers in the region’s thriving economy. San Jose’s growing industries could miss out on this homegrown talent.
MMBay is here to help students onto the paths of college and career so they can be part of San Jose’s positive future. MMBay’s dedicated volunteers guide driven yet underserved students to graduate from the nation’s most selective colleges. We are so proud to open our San Jose site.
Matthew Wong, a volunteer and founding San Jose site leader, says, “San Jose is surrounded by local universities and big companies, and these are the perfect places to begin inspiring our mentees—helping them recognize their own strengths and abilities, and what they are capable of achieving in this world.”
Connecting Talent with Opportunity
MMBay steps in to connect talented students from low-income families with opportunities that meet their talents and passions, including many right here in their backyard. MMBay matches students in their program with two dedicated mentors who mentor them over three years. Mentors are volunteers working in San Jose’s biggest industries, including engineers, lawyers, and finance leaders. Mentors spend at least 3 hours every week fostering meaningful relationships with high school mentees, empowering students to navigate the complexities of education and career planning.
Each MMBay volunteer connects personally with their mentee on Saturdays, providing personalized support and demystifying college applications, financial aid, and career choices. Through mentorship, MMBay empowers students to envision a brighter future—one where education transcends barriers. “MMBay was the personal and academic boost I didn’t know I needed,” said Kelly, an MMBay alum.
The Power of Connection
What makes the difference for students is MMBay’s unique approach to mentorship. Volunteer mentors commit to mentoring a student for three years, meeting with them in person each week.
The relationships formed ensure students are exposed to a world they otherwise don’t have access to understanding. They learn about the possibilities and the unwritten rules. These relationships run profoundly deep. They are forged through consistent and significant time invested during three high school years. But their impact doesn’t end at high school graduation. These bonds persist through college and beyond, with alumni networking and ongoing support. Mentors and mentees remain connected for a lifetime journey.
By guiding the journey, MMBay ignites students’ aspirations. Angeline, a high school student in the San Francisco site, says, “MMBay helps students to find their strengths to overcome challenges and use those strengths in future careers.”
Through these experiences, mentees begin to imagine themselves on selective college campuses and believe their presence there – which once felt unattainable – is truly possible.
And it is possible: 100% of MMBay students enroll in 4-year colleges, with 75% attending highly selective institutions and receiving 75% median scholarship coverage for expenses, ensuring persistence through graduation.
MMBay ensures that within one generation, their students can experience transformational change by accessing opportunity and can pay it forward to their own families and communities.
Cross-Class Mentorship Reduces Poverty
Cross-class friendships like those between MMBay students and mentors are one of the strongest ways to reduce poverty and increase economic mobility, according to 2022 research published by Harvard economist Raj Chetty.
MMBay’s dedicated volunteer mentors build deep relationships and a true sense of community. Anu Gupta has volunteered with MMBay for two years and is among the founding volunteers in the San Jose site. Anu says, “This has really been life-changing for me, a very humbling experience. I’ve built great relationships within the community. I’ve learned a lot.”
MMBay owes its existence to a passionate team of entrepreneurial volunteers. These dedicated individuals have spent nearly 18 months preparing for this launch. Wong says, “San Jose’s tech-savvy community is eager to give back. We’re here to inspire mentees, helping them recognize their strengths and potential.”
MMBay Opens its Doors In San Jose
Wu, Wong, and a team of dedicated volunteers have spent the last 18 months preparing for the San Jose site’s launch. “I am excited to provide students with the support and resources that can help turn their dreams into reality,” Wu said. Launching the San Jose site “is about creating the support system I once needed.”
With the start of a new school year, MMBay will kick off its San Jose site by welcoming a cohort of 15 students, each matched with a mentor. Together, they embark on a transformative journey spanning their sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school.
Saturdays come alive with MMBay sessions. The morning hours focus on classroom instruction and test preparation, resulting in an impressive average SAT improvement of 280 points. Afternoons shift gears, emphasizing mentorship, academic exploration, and social-emotional learning.
With MMBay, students take courses at college campuses like Stanford, UCLA, and Georgetown. Students also attend summer programs or participate in internships at tech startups and venture capital firms or on research projects with university professors. This gives them career experience and broadens their horizons, fueling their ambition and unleashing their talents.
MMBay’s ripple effect extends beyond graduates. As students thrive, they inspire siblings, cousins, and neighbors. The entire community benefits from their achievements.
MMBay is shaping a vibrant future for students and our community, one mentorship at a time. And they are thrilled to bring their successful approach to San Jose!
Get Involved
Volunteer: MMBay in San Jose is fueled entirely by volunteers who serve as mentors, instructors, and volunteer leaders. To learn more about volunteering, visit www.mindsmatterbay.org/join
Join: MMBay prepares students for selective colleges by helping them build awareness of college options, providing weekly guidance, and supporting students to build confidence in themselves. Interested students and their families can learn more about participating at www.mindsmatterbay.org/apply
Donate: MMBay is made possible by generous donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. To learn more about ways to give, visit: www.mindsmatterbay.org/donate-today
Article paid for by: Minds Matter Bay Area
The news and editorial staff of the Bay Area News Group had no role in this post’s preparation.