Twenty-Three Students. Twenty-Three Futures. All College-Bound.
On Saturday, May 30, Minds Matter Southern California celebrated the graduation of our Class of 2026, twenty-three driven, determined students heading to some of the most distinguished colleges and universities in the country.
This year’s Minds Matter SoCal graduates will attend:
- Amherst College
- Brown University/Rhode Island School of Design (dual degree program)
- Cal Poly Pomona
- California State University Long Beach
- Loyola Marymount University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (two students)
- Pasadena City College (transfer pathway)
- Pitzer College, Pomona College
- Santa Monica College (transfer pathway)
- Swarthmore College
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Merced (two students)
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, San Diego (three students)
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- University of Southern California (two students)
- US Merchant Marine Academy.
Among this remarkable group, three students earned prestigious QuestBridge Scholarships, and one was awarded the highly selective Gates Scholarship. These national programs open doors for high‑achieving, low‑income students by providing full funding and long‑term support at some of the country’s top colleges. Several of our graduates received full‑ride offers, and all earned significant financial aid and scholarships that will support their success as they pursue their college education.
Minds Matter SoCal students are remarkable. Since our first graduating class in 2013, 100% of Minds Matter SoCal graduates have been accepted to four-year universities, 82% attend top 50 colleges and universities, and 94% of our alumni graduate within four years. Those numbers reflect not just the talent of our students, but the power of sustained, committed support.
Getting into college is a landmark achievement. But for Minds Matter, it is the beginning, not the destination.
First-generation and low-income college students face challenges that most of their peers never encounter: navigating financial aid systems without a family roadmap, managing the cost of textbooks and housing, and finding their footing in academic and social environments where they may be the first in their family to sit in a college classroom. Without support, these pressures can derail even the most capable students. Nationally, first-generation students graduate at significantly lower rates than their continuing-generation peers.
That is why Minds Matter SoCal is expanding its commitment beyond high school. Our growing alumni program will provide resources, guidance, and community throughout all four years of college, because the goal has always been a degree and a career, not just an acceptance letter.
To the Class of 2026: you earned every one of those offers. We could not be more proud of what you have built, and we cannot wait to see what comes next.
Enjoy these photos from the event.
