Blog | ScholarMatch | Connecting donors with students and making college possible

Our First Career Night!

by Selina | March 11, 2013

ScholarMatch’s first ever Career Night was a huge success! With over 30 students and 6 amazing panelists, we packed the house over at 826 Valencia. Our panelists included a Medical Doctor and student from UCSF and General Hospital, a Computer Scientist/IT specialist at UCSF, a Professional Artists from the Wells Fargo Community Murals Program, a Patent Attorney, and a Politician. Each panelist had a unique story that they shared with our students about their college and career experiences. Our goal was to provide an opportunity for students to interact with professionals and gain an understanding of what it takes to achieve your dreams. Students walked away feeling inspired and determined. One even said that she learned that you need “to follow what you really love and are passionate about to be successful in life!”. This was just the first of many Career Night’s to come, stay tuned for more information about future events!

First Generation Screenings

by Selina | February 6, 2013

Our screenings of the documentary First Generation were a huge success! The panel discussions featuring ScholarMatch’s Dave Eggers, Diana, Noel, students Jessica and Sandra, Karen Cooper of Stanford University and Michael McKeon of Saint Mary’s College were interesting and insightful. Our student representatives told their personal stories, including their obstacles and triumphs, of being the first in their families to attend college. We are so proud of Jessica and Sandra! Our SF screening of the film at the Roxie Theater was a packed house, every available ticket was sold. With over 200 guests in attendance, it was ScholarMatch’s biggest event to date! The screenings would not have been possible without the support of our amazing donors and people passionate about college access. Thank you! A special congratulations goes out to Heidi P., winner of the signed copy of Dave Eggers’ new book A Hologram for the King.

An impactful 2012

by kent | December 27, 2012

Thank you to the ScholarMatch community for our biggest year yet. You can read about it in our 2012 Impact Report, but here’s some highlights:
• $144,241: Total scholarships awarded by ScholarMatch
• $2,254: Average value of a ScholarMatch scholarship
• 67%: Percent of our students’ families who live below the poverty line

Contribute to our work today. None of this is possible without you. Then, watch this special thank you from our scholars and see who you’re supporting.

Welcome to the ScholarMatch class of 2013!

by kent | December 24, 2012

Last night marked one of the most exciting times of our year: Meeting our new class of scholars!

The 21 amazingly talented high school seniors in the ScholarMatch class of 2013 are aspiring dentists, journalists, and English teachers. They give back to their schools and communities. They come from all over the Bay Area: San Francisco, Oakland, East Palo Alto. And they have overcome great barriers – 86% are first-generation college students – to make it this far.

We go to great lengths to connect with our students, not only so we can better share their stories with the world but also so that we can provide college support when they need it. Check out their profiles here, then invest in their future. Just tell us you’d like to support a member of the 2013 class; we’re happy to make your scholar match!

Meet the 2013 Grotto scholar

by kent | December 12, 2012

ScholarMatch student Nicolas Soto writes so much and so often, he often has to use the margins of pages to fit it all his thoughts in. The San Francisco Writers’ Grotto provides working writers a collaborative and inspiring place, while Writer’s Grotto Classes provide aspiring writers with a place to learn their craft. So when the Grotto community and their students generously offered to bring their network together and rally support for Nicolas’s scholarship, it made for the perfect definition of a scholar match.

Nicolas is the 2013 Grotto Scholar. Money raised will go toward meeting his tuition goal at college. A soon-to-be graduate of San Francisco’s Leadership High, he’s not sure where he’ll go yet, but his choices include San Francisco State, UC Santa Cruz, UC Merced, and Whittier College.

We’re tremendously excited to be offering this scholarship with the Grotto. If your business, family, sports team, alumni association, or even book club is interested in joining us in supporting an under-resourced but determined student like Nicolas, contact us to learn more about our Sponsored Scholarship program!

Stop by ScholarMatch during SF’s Mission Holiday Block Party

by kent | December 7, 2012

Don’t miss the Mission Holiday Block Party in San Francisco on Friday, Dec. 7: Local businesses will be staying open late, and we’re no exception. Stop by our office at 849 Valencia Street, to get some cider, listen to holiday tunes, and learn you about our our students and programs. Pick up your ScholarMatch Gift Cards (the perfect stocking stuffer!) or give a contribution, and we’ll have some fantastic benefit gift books from authors like Elizabeth Gilbert and Andrew Sean Greer give away to people who support our students.

Don’t miss McSweeney’s holiday party on 12/6 in San Francisco

by kent | November 29, 2012

San Francisco, get ready: Our pals and office-mates McSweeney’s have planned quite the holiday party! Author Paul Legault will be reading from his book The Emily Dickinson Reader, DJ Glenny Kravitz will drop tunes for a karaoke jam, and there’ll even be a small fundraiser for ScholarMatch programs (thanks for the support, McSweeney’s friends).

The festivities take place at the The Make-Out Room (3225 22nd St.) in San Francisco on Thursday, December 6, from 7pm-10pm. McSweeney’s knows how to pack a place, so get tickets soon! http://mcsweeneysholiday.eventbrite.com/

Give the chance for college success wth ScholarMatch Gift Cards

by kent | November 27, 2012

This holiday season, we’re offering you the chance to give a gift that forges a connection with a hardworking college student: ScholarMatch Gift Cards.

Pick up a gift card of any value and tell us where to send it. The recipient redeems the card and tells us about the scholar they would like to support. We make the scholar match, and the gift card goes toward that student’s scholarship. The gift card recipient will receive updates from their scholar, giving them a chance to hear firsthand how their gift is making the difference in a talented young person’s life.

ScholarMatch’s services and scholarships made college possible for 64 students in 2012-2013. Join our efforts to help more students like Sandra – while becoming becoming famous in your family for giving the most unique gift ever – by with a ScholarMatch Gift Card today.

Thanks for giving

by kent | November 22, 2012

It’s the time of year to give thanks, and that means we’re busy because we’ve got a ton to be thankful for. Namely: You.

Thanks to your contributions and work, we had our biggest impact ever in the 2012-2013 academic year!

64 students received scholarships through ScholarMatch
$144,241 in scholarships were awarded
$2,254 was the average value of a ScholarMatch scholarship

College completion is more challenging than ever: Only one in ten low-income, first-generation college students will earn a bachelor’s degree within six years, according to the Pell Institute. More than 80% of our students fall in this demographic, but their story will be different because of the support they receive from ScholarMatch.

We’ll let Sandra Galvan, a student at Holy Names University whose story was changed by a $2,500 scholarship from the ScholarMatch community have the last word (which we couldn’t have said better): “By you helping me right now, you are also helping those after me. College is real, and you have taught me that, so thank you for your continuous financial and emotional support.”

Volunteer with us!

by kent | October 26, 2012

We need volunteers passionate about higher education! You’ll be helping at workshops where we need more individualized help for students, such as personal statement editing and college application help. Here are the upcoming dates for Fall 2012, all at our space on 849 Valencia Street from 5pm – 6:30pm (come 20 minutes early for orientation):
• Nov 7
• Nov 14
• Nov. 28
• Dec 12
Contact us at info@scholarmatch.org for more information!