BALF Objectives

The objectives of the Bay Area Leadership are as follows:

• Increase student achievement and prepare students for college and careers
  
• Enable students to complete college entrance academic requirements
  
• Encourage students to become leaders through community service and experiential internship opportunities
  
• Improve life skills via peer mentoring for transition to and during college
  
• Increase student scholastic proficiency
  
• Participate in community activities that promote information technology literacy

BALF Program Overview

The Bay Area Leadership Foundation’s ACCESS (Academic, College, and Career Exposure for Student Success) Program is a program for high school students from the 10th to 12th grade that focuses on high school success and the promotion of a love for learning that will lead students to college careers. ACCESS students receive personal and academic skill development, academic and career-related field trips, and mentoring. Participants may graduate into the ASP (ACCESS Scholarship Program) as juniors and/or seniors and become eligible for a scholarship upwards of $34,000 over the students 4 year college career.

Currently, the Bay Area Leadership Foundation has 65 high school students enrolled in the ACCESS program for the 2008-09 academic year. These students are in high schools in East San Jose, Oakland, Pittsburg, Richmond, and Vallejo School Districts. Since the organization’s founding in 2001, the Bay Area Leadership Foundation has placed 51 students in college. Currently, there are 16 Bay Area Leadership Foundation graduates attending college today. Some of the colleges Bay Area Leadership Foundation graduates have attended are:

2 Year Institutions

• Diablo Valley College
• Laney College
• Los Medanos College

• California State University East Bay
• Sacramento State University
• Saint Mary’s College (Moraga)
• San Francisco State University
• Scripps College
• University of California at Berkeley

• Howard University
• Morehouse College
• Tennessee State University
• Xavier University

ACCESS Program Workshops 2008-09

• September 15, 2008 – Program Kickoff and Orientation
• October 18, 2008 – SAT Preparation (Math)
• November 15, 2008 – SAT Preparation (Reading and Writing)
• December 20, 2008 – Year End Meeting and Potluck
• January 30 & 31 – Business Simulation
• February 21, 2009 – College Tour (Chico State)
• March 21, 2009 – Community Service Project
• April 18, 2009 –Time Management Workshop
• May 16, 2009 – College Tour (San Jose State)
• June 20, 2009 – Bay Area Leadership Foundation Graduation

• “BALF has taught me skills I never would have learned in school…without them; the application process would have been much harder for me. This program really makes a difference for students who need that push into college.” – Ariola, U.C. Berkeley
• “I am aware that the transition from high school to college will be tough but after four years of being a part of the Bay Area Leadership Foundation, I feel prepared for a successful first year.” – Vargas, Scripps College

• “I am not just a college student – I am happy to give back to the community as a volunteer. I do not expect to receive while giving nothing back. If others had that attitude, I would not have made it as far as I have.” – Brooks, Howard University
• “Thanks to the yearly scholarship award, I have been able to focus on my studies at Xavier and not have to work two jobs to fund my education.” – Tinsley, Xavier University