Many of you know I am a passionate advocate and supporter of Minds Matter SoCal. I’ve been a volunteer in the Orange County Chapter for the past 4 years. As Senior Program Director, I invest 6-8 hours per week in the program, specifically coaching and advising talented, ambitious first-generation, low-income students prepare for college. In my four years, I’ve helped 6 of our students reach their college dreams, and I’m currently working with 5 seniors this year. Those who know me well, know that I am already working insane hours at work. How can I devote this much time to Minds Matter? My answer is - that this is the single most impactful endeavor of my life. I am forever changed because of the interactions with our students and my fellow volunteers. To see these bright, young sophomore students enter the program with no context or orientation to college preparation and see them learn, grow and start to dream, because of the program, is inspiring. College shouldn't be a barrier - it should be a beginning, creating the foundation for a better future. Yet far too many low-income students lack the resources, information, role models and opportunities to make their dreams of college a reality. Minds Matter Southern California fills this gap - and we want to do it for more students! The challenges low-income, first generation students face are growing and often create fear in students about their future. We are in the first year of our growth plan and serving almost 20% more students than last year. Our goal is to double the number of students we serve by 2028 and deepen the services we provide. It is an ambitious goal and one we can only reach with your help. You can make opportunity accessible and actionable for more students. Donate today! We have two matching opportunities. For Giving Tuesday, if we raise $20,000 on that day, Dec. 2nd it will be matched dollar for dollar by board members. Then when we raise an additional $35,000 before Dec. 31st, it will also be matched dollar for dollar! Thank you in advance for your generous support of me and Minds Matter!