UCR Newsroom

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside Guardian Scholars, a program that helps students who have aged out of the foster care system succeed in college, will hold its second annual celebration and fund-raiser on Monday, Oct. 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Barn on the UCR campus.

The program will feature DJ IEyahn and the 909 Hip Hop Dance Troupe. Admission is free, although donations are welcome. Parking costs $5. Dinner and drinks will be available for purchase.

Guardian Scholars is a nationwide program that provides scholarships, life coaching, mentors, housing and personalized attention to youth who have aged out of foster care.

Donations to UCR Guardian Scholars are used exclusively for student support services, including “welcome to campus” gift baskets, assistance with books and scholastic needs, participation in leadership and scholarly conferences, and support for basic material needs related to housing and food, said Tuppett Yates, an assistant professor of psychology who is leading the UCR effort.

About 70 percent of foster youth say they want a college education, but only 10 percent enroll, and only 1 percent earn a college degree, said Yates, who studies risk and resilience among high-risk youth. Nationally, about 70 percent of students who participate in the Guardian Scholars program graduate in four years.

Guardian Scholars started in 1998 at California State University, Fullerton and operates at more than 20 universities in California, Washington, Indiana, Colorado and Massachusetts.

For more information go to www.guardianscholars.ucr.edu or contact Yates at (951) 827-4991 or tuppett.yates@ucr.edu. To make a contribution, make checks payable to UC Foundation, GS Foster Youth Fund, and send them to Jan Opdyke at 1150 University Ave., 110A Highlander Hall, Riverside, CA 92521, or contact her at jopdyke@ucr.edu, (951) 827-5676.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment of about 18,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.