Scholar Connection | Oct. 2021
Happy October! We hope you’ve been enjoying your classes and that midterms went well. While June feels ages away, now is the time to start thinking about (and applying for) summer internships. In this month’s Scholar Connection, we are sharing a variety of career development opportunities, as well as some internship openings you might be interested in.
Here’s what in this issue:
- Introducing Level Up: A new career readiness program from BCS and RepresentEd
- Internships Opportunities
- FAFSA/Dream Act Renewal
- Additional resources for you
As always, reach out to us if have any questions or need support.
All the best,
The BCS College Success Team
Lynn Walker, College Success Manager (lynn@berkeleyscholars.org)
Colleen Sparks, Interim College Success Advisor (colleen@berkeleyscholars.org)
Terrance Powell, College Success Advisor (terrance@berkeleyscholars.org)
*Linda Osuorji, College Success Manager (currently on medical leave)
Are you ready to take your career preparation to the next level?
We are thrilled to announce the launch of Level Up: a new career readiness program from Berkeley Community Scholars and RepresentEd.
Designed to Help You
- Define personal interests
- Develop leadership skills
- Improve public speaking, interview skills, teamwork, and social media presence
- Build effective and efficient resumes, cover letters, and elevator pitches
- Practice and have comfort with Human Centered Design
- Leverage mentorship and grow professional connections
About the Program
- 6-session professional development training
- Participants will engage in design thinking, and develop essential soft and hard skills through the completion of a group project
- Each participant will learn how to leverage their mentors and build professional networks throughout their college career
Program Requirements
- Must have completed at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units
- Can attend all 6 group sessions
- Willing to work on a team
- Willing to complete an individual project that will be shared with others in the community
Key Dates
- Application opens Monday, October 18, 2021
- Information Sessions: Wednesday, November 3rd @ 5:30pm and Friday, November 5th @ 12:00pm
- Decisions will be released on December 1, 2021
- Required Orientation will be on December 8, 2021 – all selected participants must attend
All About Internships
INROADS
The INROADS Internship Program prepares talented diverse students across the country for corporate readiness with business soft skills, real-world leadership development activities, academic and career support, and an opportunity for a paid internship.
Several BCS scholars have participated in INROADS, and some have even gotten post-graduation jobs as a result of their internships!
Qualifications
- Full-time undergraduate student at an accredited college/university with at least 1 summer before graduating college
- Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.8 or higher
- Majors in the areas of Business, STEM, or Liberal Arts and an interest in the corporate sector
**Make sure to let your CSA know you are applying, so we can introduce you to the Program Director.
Handshake
Handshake is a career and job search service used by colleges and universities all around the country—likely including your school. It is a useful tool for finding entry-level jobs and internships and connecting with employers who are recruiting college students. Check out this video for some tips on getting started.
Campus Career Fairs
Career fairs are another great resource for getting started on your job search. At a career fair you can get to know potential employers, discovers jobs you never knew existed, learn what skills specific jobs require, and get practice at interviewing.
Be sure to check out your campus’ Career Center for upcoming workshops, job fairs, and information sessions.
Get a Scholarship by Tutoring!
Want to earn a $7,000 scholarship? Elevate Tutoring provides proprietary training that will help you develop the skills necessary to act as near-peer mentors and academic coaches with an understanding of structural inequity in the education system. You can then enter the classroom fully equipped to provide tutoring to socioeconomically-disadvantaged middle school and high school students.
Open to all majors, applicants should be located in or near the South Bay, be comfortable with high school level math, and have a desire to tutor/mentor younger K-12 students. Applicants should also have financial need and a graduation date no sooner than December 2022.
Dream Act and FAFSA Renewal
The 2022-2023 FAFSA and Dream Act applications are open! Don’t forget to renew your financial aid every year. Financial aid is issued on a first come first serve basis. The earlier you submit your application, the better. The FAFSA deadline to receive the Cal Grant is March 2, 2022, so make sure you get your application in today!
Renew Dream Act HERE. Make sure to have your personal identification information and your 2020 tax/income information handy!
Renew FAFSA HERE. Make sure to have your FSA ID and your 2020 tax forms handy!
Resources and Opportunities
BCS Emergency Fund
The BCS Emergency Fund is available to help students meet immediate and essential expenses due to a temporary financial hardship. If you have already received emergency funding and have an additional need, you may be eligible for additional funding. Funding is limited so please contact your College Success Advisor (CSA) if you have any questions and email them your completed application.
Need help with writing?
BCS is working with two amazing tutors who can help with understanding assignments, reviewing drafts, editing, etc.
Jared B. specializes in language arts tutoring (including English literature, creative writing, social science reporting, and English Language Learner support). He has 5 years of experience teaching bilingual adults and is fluent in Spanish and French and conversationally proficient in Portuguese and Mandarin.
Trisha C. practiced law for 23 years and has taught AP US Government and Politics for the past four years. She now teaches US history at Foothill High School. She is available to help with subjects pertaining to political and historical events. She also can help to advise and edit writing assignments regardless of the subject.
To set up tutoring times with either volunteer, please contact your CSA.
California Rent Assistance
California has just authorized additional funds to provide financial relief to tenants and landlords through budget bill AB832.
This provides $5.2 billion to help struggling California renters by covering rent that a tenant may owe for as far back as April 2020. If you’re a renter and meet the income eligibility requirement and owe back rent, or have future rent payments you anticipate you can’t make, or are facing difficulty paying your utility bills, please apply for this program.
Tenants who live in Alameda County, submit your application through Alameda County’s renter-landlord relief program, Alameda County Housing Secure.
Tenants living in Contra Costa County or the city of Oakland, submit your application here: Housing Is Key.