By Mike Kinney
As she stood among hundreds of fellow high school graduates in Richmond Civic Center Plaza on Saturday, Aug. 3, Joslyn Martin expressed pride in her community, which she says is helping make her college dreams a reality.
“What this day means to me is my community will help me go to college, get my degree and make a name for myself,” said Martin. “It means I will have a good future and a good job.”
A Richmond resident who just graduated from El Cerrito High, Martin was among a group of nearly 500 Richmond Promise Scholars honored during an annual ceremony in the plaza.
Richmond Promise Scholars are participants of an ongoing, citywide college success program that provides $1,500 in annual college scholarships that are renewable for up to four years to all graduating high school seniors from Richmond and North Richmond. In addition to financial support, the Promise also provides key wraparound services, such as guidance in obtaining more financial aid, with the aim of making the pursuit of associate and bachelor degrees or career technical education certifications attainable for all city residents.
The Richmond Promise launched in 2016 with a $35 million, 10-year investment by Chevron Richmond. The funds are part of a $90 million community benefits agreement between the City of Richmond and Chevron related to the $1 billion Refinery Modernization Project.
To date, more than 3,300 students have benefited from the program.
The ceremony at Civic Center Plaza on Aug. 3 served as an opportunity to welcome the newest 500 Scholars before they set off on their postsecondary education journeys. The event also featured an education and career resources fair to further boost future options for scholars.
Guest speakers at this year’s event included Richmond Promise Executive Director Christopher Whitmore, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, Richmond City Councilmember Cesar Zepeda and student Aleks Haynes. During the ceremony, hundreds of students introduced themselves and stated which college they will attend this coming fall.
“The Scholar Celebration serves as a great reminder that working towards postsecondary success remains a priority for Richmond students and families,” said Whitmore.
Whitmore noted this year’s Scholar class deserves extra praise for navigating a number of challenges including the tumultuous launch of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
“Hopefully they will come back help serve our community.”
“They have also navigated the financial aid documentation, the college applications, the Richmond Promise scholarship meetings, to enter our program,” he said. “It’s exciting to see these students go off to these colleges and universities locally and across the country, representing themselves, their families and the City of Richmond as well.”
Several city officials and leaders attended the Aug. 3 celebration to congratulate the Scholars and wish them good fortune on their education journeys. Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, a graduate of El Cerrito High and the son of a former Kennedy High educator, expressed elation in seeing the community support for local students today.
“The Richmond Promise has provided an opportunity to the young people here in Richmond to go on and pursue their education and careers,” Gioia said. “Hopefully they will come back help serve our community.”
Linsi Crain, a representative of Chevron who is a member of the Richmond Promise Board of Directors, calls the Promise “one of the best investments Chevron has made in Richmond in the last decade.”
“We have been able to support thousands of students from Richmond and create a college culture here in Richmond,” Crain said. “We couldn’t be more proud of our work with Richmond Promise.”
Students are grateful for the opportunity to make their college dreams come true. John Marselles, a Richmond High graduate, says the Promise is supporting his goals to attend Contra Costa College this fall, and to transfer to a four-year college afterward.
Ben Enos, the director of communications for Richmond Promise, noted this year, two additional “name scholarships” were awarded for the first time. Inspire U and Amazon each established scholarships “and we are excited they are here today.”
“This year’s Scholar Celebration comes at an exciting time for Richmond Promise,” Enos said. “Our program team just wrapped up our summer first-year workshops for the newest cohort of Richmond Promise Scholars, and Saturday’s event is a great opportunity to celebrate them as they get ready to start the next chapter of their lives. We are extremely grateful that the community has always supported our mission of establishing a college-graduating culture in Richmond, and we’re looking forward to continuing that work for many years to come.”
