Help A Brother Go To College Day event comes to Richmond

Young men wanting to go to college can get assistance navigating the admission process at a college fair this Sunday sponsored by a local non-profit.

The fourth annual Help a Brother Go to College Day, sponsored by the Young Scholars Program, will connect Richmond students with dozens of admission counselors – some of whom say they will offer admission and scholarships on the spot.

The event will be held at Richmond’s De Anza High School. Students will receive assistance in completing college applications and admission essays, while parents are guided through completing financial aid forms.

“We’ve had a great deal of success in the past four years with young men who have gotten admitted and matriculated through college,” said Jacqueline Rushing, founder and CEO of the Young Scholars Program.

“A lot of men made up their mind that college was possible during our event,” Rushing said.

Aside from getting students college prep tools, the event is also aimed at recruiting male mentors from the community, and those interested in playing this role are urged to attend Sunday’s event.

“Our young men will be what they see,” Rushing said. “If they see strong men who are out there taking care of the community and being leaders, then they can become those things.” She added, “I believe that in order for our community to grow, we have to bring strong men back to the community and that comes with these young men being educated.”

The opening session will feature several speakers including Thomas Parham, vice chancellor of UC Irvine; Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University in New Orleans; Kevin Rome, president of Missouri’s Lincoln University and local entrepreneur Michael Parker, founder of You Are a CEO.

Sunday’s event will also include a college fair with representatives from several other UC schools including Berkeley, Davis, and Merced along with the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville). In all, seven historically black colleges and universities will take part.

Tyson Walton attended the program two years ago and is now a student at Hope College in Michigan. Prior to leaving the Bay Area for college, he was a leader with the Young Scholars Program, mentoring boys.

He said the organization provides information that “you wouldn’t necessarily get anywhere else.”

“With the help of the program, they put me in a direction to find the type of school that was right for me,” said Walton, a computer science and business management major.

“It provides information that they will need during their college experience from how to present yourselves to professors and study habits, to the right attire to bring to a college campus.”

The event is free, but registration is required and space is limited. For more information or the program or to inquire about mentorship opportunities, call 415-465-2620.