Mentor a Scholar

Our mentoring program provides a sustained, community-based network of personal support, information and resources to BCS High Hopes Scholars and their families, to help each student complete college successfully and increase their future opportunities.

By matching students with a mentor who has a college degree and understands the challenges and rewards of college, we provide a missing piece on their path to success.

Why Mentor?

According to the National Mentoring Partnership, research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Many of our scholars have shared that their mentor relationships have been very helpful to them as they navigated through their college experiences.

Requirements of a Mentor

We ask our mentors to commit to at least 2 years as a mentor. Additional years of support will be encouraged based on mentor/mentee desire and impact.

  • Be a college graduate or equivalent professional in their field of work
  • Have a minimum of 2 face-to-face* meetings
  • Connect with your Scholar at least once a month during the school year (via email, phone call, Zoom, etc)
  • Attend Match Meeting with Scholar and College Success Advisor

* In-person contact is not required during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We also encourage our mentors to:

  • Attend the Scholarship Award Ceremony (June), Summer Orientation (June),
  • Scholar/Mentor Mixer (May), Care Package Party (Nov.), and Mentor
  • Appreciation Brunch (Jan.)
  • Group outings planned by scholars and BCS staff

All events will take place virtually until further notice.

How to Get Started

  • Attend a mentor information session. Find a list of upcoming sessions here.
  • Fill out the Mentor Interest Form
  • College Success Advisor Linda Osuorji will schedule a face-to-face* interview
  • If we decide to move forward, you will be asked to submit two references
  • For the safety of our scholars, we ask all potential mentors to be cleared by a background check.

Additional Resources

Read our Mentor FAQ here.

View our Mentor Resources here.

If you have questions, please contact our College Success Advisor, Linda Osuorji, at linda@berkeleyscholars.org or by calling (510) 900-9541.