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It was a typical Thursday afternoon in the Mission Scholars office, as rising first-generation college students arrived to participate in the organization’s College Transition Summer Workshop Series. Summer 2024 marked the organization’s sixth year of programs designed to support South Santa Barbara County’s underserved youth on their path to college graduation.
Through the workshop series, 29 rising college freshmen were trained in professional communication, academic planning, financial literacy and budgeting, and career development, ensuring that they would be well-prepared to embark on their college journeys. These students had grown used to weekly drop-ins at the Mission Scholars office, having just completed a rigorous 12 months of staff-led workshops on college applications and financial aid.
Yet, on this particular Thursday, something was different.
As staff sat quietly in the back, two Mission Scholars students stood at the front of the room ready to impart their knowledge: Bella Garfias, University of San Diego alumna and member of Mission Scholars’ inaugural Class of 2020 cohort, and Kristine Carrillo, rising senior at Brown University.
For the organization’s co-founders, this was always the vision: program participants one day stepping into the roles of program leaders. “When we launched our first program in 2019, we envisioned a future where our Scholars would not just become successful college graduates, they would also develop the tools and desire to mentor their younger Mission Scholars peers,” said Katie Kinsella, Director of Operations. “It was a proud moment for our staff to watch Bella and Kristine lead our next generation of college students.”
For her activity, Garfias, a marketing major and first-year Associate Researcher at Electronic Arts, chose to focus on professional communication. Strong professional communication “is about more than just speaking and writing well,” said Garfias. “It’s about empowering students to present their best selves in any situation.” Carrillo, currently studying Education and International and Public Affairs at Brown, focused on academic planning, equipping the rising college freshmen with comprehensive four-year schedules. “Teaching academic planning was essential to me because I know firsthand how important it is to have a clear roadmap in college,” said Carrillo. “By guiding students to develop effective strategies and set achievable goals, we’re empowering them to make the most of their college experience and stay on course for success.”
Throughout the summer weeks, Mission Scholars provided more opportunities for its alumni and current college students to return and offer their guidance to the incoming college freshmen. In July, Mission Scholars hosted its third annual Leaders In Transition (LIT) Kickoff at Sensata Technologies. The LIT program, a series of workshops, panels, and personalized career development training for over every Mission Scholars college student, providing over 100 students with resources to explore their career interests, secure summer internships, and harness professional networks, thereby increasing their chances of post-college success. At this summer’s LIT Kickoff, it was the Scholars themselves who led the programming.
Kathy Ramirez-Gijon, a recent graduate of University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, delivered a speech at the LIT Kickoff inspiring the students to forge their own paths and trust their skills. Ramirez-Gijon spoke about the impact of mentorship while encouraging students to take advantage of the career opportunities and internship support offered by Mission Scholars.
Mission Scholars also hosted a “Scholars Supporting Scholars” First-Generation College Student Panel, led by six college Scholars attending the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, UC Berkeley, Claremont McKenna College, UCLA, and Santa Clara University. These student leaders led breakout sessions for rising high school seniors and juniors on topics like navigating first-generation guilt, overcoming imposter syndrome, failing forward, and balancing academic, social, and family responsibilities.
For Kinsella, watching the college Scholars share their stories of both struggle and joy was profound. “For our first-generation students, it’s more than just opening doors to higher education—it’s about giving them the confidence to walk through those doors and claim their future,” Kinsella shared. “This powerful cycle of peer-to-peer support and leadership is not just changing individual lives—it’s creating a ripple effect throughout our entire community.”
Mission Scholars provides comprehensive college admissions guidance, mentorship, and career development training to help high-achieving, low-income students reach their full potential and become a force for change in our communities. To learn more about Mission Scholars, visit www.missionscholars.org.