"I was afraid. This was the conclusion that 14-year-old Kristal reached when she realized the weight of expectations placed upon her. I lived with that fear—until I found Minds Matter. I realized my dreams were within reach. My name is Kristal and I am a Minds Matter alumnus, a first-generation college graduate and the Minds Matter Co-Sophomore Director. As the eldest of five and the daughter of immigrants, I applied to Minds Matter because I did not want to be alone in the journey to college. Minds Matter provided the guidance, resources, and experiences that I needed to successfully achieve going to college. Now, let me share the vital role mentorship played in my journey. I share the same birthday with my sister (we’re not twins). My fondest memory of my mentors was celebrating my birthday with them. It was the first birthday in my life where I was the single reason for celebration. I cannot put into words how loved and supported I felt from that night on. The level of trust built with my mentors allowed me to open up to them. They got to know my strengths and weaknesses. When applying to colleges, they knew me sometimes better than I knew myself and challenged me to reach higher because they believed in me. The Minds Matter community cultivates hope and resilience." - Kristal, MM SoCal Class of 2017 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. From the FAFSA debacle to the Affirmative Action decision, the hurdles keep coming. We are in the 1st 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!