Empowering Low-Income Students
Minds Matter supports students in their sophomore, junior, and senior years. Our program offers a unique combination of mentoring support, group instruction, and social-emotional learning. We provide students with the resources and guidance needed to gain admission, enroll, and succeed at rigorous four-year colleges. Support continues during college with internships, professional skills-building, and access to our alumni platform.
We are dedicated to helping students unleash their talent and potential, nurturing them to become not just college graduates but leaders who can help shine the light for future generations.
Summer Enrichment
Our sophomores and juniors participate in top university summer programs to experience college life—taking college-level courses, living with roommates, and learning time management.
Mentorship
A differentiator of our program is the mentor/student relationship. Mentors guide, challenge, and champion their students. Mentors serve as critical resources to students throughout the program.
Academic Tutoring & Test Prep
To prepare for college, our students take structured Writing, Critical Thinking, and Math classes. They also receive SAT prep classes and individual tutoring if necessary.
Life Skills
To equip them with life skills for college and beyond, we teach our students financial literacy and leadership development. We host various career events so they can explore a variety of job opportunities that they may not have considered.
Social & Emotional Learning
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) teaches life skills and strategies that support academic and professional growth through storytelling, learning from the experience of others, and collecting wisdom. This program is facilitated through our partnership with Calibrate.earth.
College Knowledge
With thousands of institutions across the US, it can be daunting to figure out where to start. We help our students from the college exploration phase through the application and financial aid process and ultimately help them make their ultimate college decision.
Alumni Support
Our program is designed so our students can feel like they are part of a family. Since our first graduating class in 2013, we have created an expanding community of students and alums. Thanks to innovations like Minds Matter Connect, our students always have access to professional networking resources at their fingertips.
Minds Matter by the Numbers
200+
students have graduated from
Minds Matter SoCal
82%
attend top 50 colleges and
universities
500+
hours of additional
instruction
~$1.3M+
financial aid and scholarships
awarded to the Class of 2025
98%
graduate from college
within five years
20,456
estimated annual hours
of volunteer service
“Minds Matter taught me to utilize the tools and resources around me to expand my knowledge and navigate the challenges of life. More importantly, the program challenged my world view by encouraging me to think critically. Being part of Minds Matter means learning from a diverse community of individuals and developing the life skills necessary for success in the modern world.”
David, Class of 2019
Graduating Classes
