As a junior in high school, the college application season is right around the corner. Although applying to college may seem like a daunting and overwhelming tasks, there are many resources and programs designed to help students achieve their dreams and be accepted to their top schools. Personally, as a first-generation student, I had no guidance from my parents or siblings on how to apply to college or what to do in order to be seen as a competitive applicants. As a result, I would like to share some of the programs that have helped me through this difficult process and even boosted my college applications.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund Youth Leadership Institute

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Hispanic-American students succeed in college and beyond. As a junior, one is given the opportunity to be a part of this amazing organization by applying to their Youth Leadership Institute, which is a five day program that takes place over the summer. The requirements for this programs are that the applicant must have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, be of Hispanic Heritage, be a current junior, and plan on applying applying and attending a 4-year university after high school. The program is a highly selective one given that it has around a 10% acceptance rate and has a national pool of applications every year. The program selects students that have demonstrated amazing academic achievement and leadership in their communities. The YLI is currently sponsored by two schools, the University of Chicago and the University of Southern California.

I had the amazing opportunity of attending the YLI at the University of Chicago this past summer and met many incredibly driven and talented individuals. Although the program is usually in-person at the sponsored colleges, because of COVID, the program was online this year. Nevertheless, the spirit of the YLI was definitely felt. I was able to receive invaluable guidance and information regarding the college application process through my mentor as well as the various presentations given throughout the program. My favorite part of the program, however, was being able to speak with high-achieving Latinx leaders, executives, and professionals. Their stories were very inspirational and allowed me to see people with similar backgrounds as me that have been very successful. Overall, this program was life-changing and allowed me to see myself as a competitive applicant at top institutions. I highly recommend that any ambitious Latinx juniors apply to the program.

UCI High School Institute in Law

The UCI HS Institute in Law is a 5 day program designed to introduce high school students to the profession and study of law. The program is somewhat expensive ($1100); however, if you are really interested in attending and are unable to pay the full price, UCI has an application for a full scholarship. The program itself does not require an application. The only requirement is that one must be currently in high school.

Due to COVID and other complications, the program was unfortunately cancelled. They replaced it with a one-day preview of law school. However, I’m sure that the in-person and full program is very informational and have heard that it is great for those aspiring to pursue a career in law.

I completed both of these programs the summer before my senior year; however, there are many other programs that I wish I would have known about and would have loved to have attended. To name a few there is the USC Bovard Scholar program, Dartmouth Bound program, and College Prep Scholar program among others. I highly recommend applying to these programs and researching some do your own if you are interested in applying to top institutions. They are very inspirational, informative, and look great on college applications.

-Yvette C.