Making Waves at San Francisco State, Pursuing a Teaching Career
An English education major at San Francisco State University, Salvador Sandoval is pursuing his passion for creative writing and his goal of becoming a teacher in his hometown of Pittsburg, California. “Making Waves is one of the reasons I am in college,” he shared.
Student Perspectives in College Success: From First-Generation College Graduate to Law School During a Pandemic
Making Waves alumnus Natan S. shares what it’s like studying law and developing his career during a pandemic.
Student Success in Challenging Times: Leveraging Partnerships, Virtual Mentorship, and Holistic Approaches
Stockton Scholars’ college success team shares challenges and opportunities in supporting and mentoring students in college and career success.
Setbacks in Career Development Aren’t a Reflection of Your Capabilities
In this month’s College Success Institute Q&A, Courtney Arguello, lead career and alumni coach of Making Waves Foundation’s College and Alumni Program, or CAP, discusses the challenges and opportunities for newly degreed Wave-Makers.
With Compassion and Resilience: Students, Teachers, and Team Embrace a School Year Together
more than 1,000 students back to campus and 100% in-person learning. Faculty, staff, and school leaders started the day and the week with a mix of trepidation and excitement. After 1.5 years of distance learning, it felt both foreign and familiar. “Our 5th graders returned as 7th graders, our 7th graders returned as 9th graders (taking their classes in the upper school for the first time!) and our 10th graders returned as seniors. This example is a reminder to us of what was lost in our time away from campus, along with how much we need to be patient and observant of the student experience and what they might need from us to adjust to being back,” says Alton B. Nelson, CEO.
A Year to Remember – And Celebrate
Nearly 100 students, the largest ever class to graduate from Making Waves Academy (MWA), celebrated their achievements at a drive-thru commencement ceremony, with diplomas presented on a traditional stage and photo opportunities with school leaders and board members provided. “This class has shown enormous perseverance, resilience, and fortitude,” said Senior School Director Dr. Evangelia Ward-Jackson, “Our Wave-Makers have […]
The Glaring Disparities that Elite Colleges Miss: A Discussion with Dr. Anthony Jack
In a recent online talk that reached more than 100 members of the Making Waves community, including college access and success partners and donors, Dr. Anthony Abraham Jack discussed the barriers that first-generation, low-income students face when they arrive at highly selective colleges and universities. Jack, assistant professor of education at Harvard’s Graduate School of […]
Making Waves Academy Celebrates its Largest-Ever Graduating Class!
Richmond, California, June 11, 2021 – Nearly 100 students, the largest ever class to graduate from Making Waves Academy (MWA), celebrated their achievements at a drive-thru commencement ceremony, with diplomas presented on a traditional stage and photo opportunities with school leaders and board members provided. “This class has shown enormous perseverance, resilience, and fortitude,” said […]
Silver Linings, Grit, and Resilience
Crises, especially prolonged ones, test an institution’s core values. The five core values of Making Waves Academy (MWA) – community, resilience, respect, responsibility, and scholarship – have been the school’s superpower throughout the past year. Community and resilience, in particular, showed students, faculty, and staff how essential core beliefs are to an institution. For Teacher […]
Filling in the Gaps: A New Partnership to Support Wave-Makers in Pittsburg
Over the past decade, demographic changes in the Bay Area have become impossible to ignore. Gentrification has displaced low-income families of color from the neighborhoods they called home for generations, and Contra Costa County has seen some of the most dramatic effects of these shifts. A recent study led by UC Berkeley’s Urban Displacement Project indicates that Contra Costa County saw a larger increase in low-income residents of color than the […]
“You Have a Light About You”: Meet Wave-Maker Jamaya Walker
When asked to trace the source of her strength and success, Jamaya Walker (12th Wave) immediately thinks of her mother: “My mom is like superwoman. I can’t afford to disappoint her because she sacrificed so much for me to get where I am.” Jamaya also points to pillars of support and mentorship that she found within a network of Black teachers and […]
Planting a Seed for What Is Possible: Home Libraries Build Literacy and Opportunity
A stack of books may not seem extraordinary, but it can be life changing. Recent research has indicated that there are tangible benefits for kids who grow up with books. Two global studies of home libraries indicated that books in the home have positive effects on educational attainment and literacy, especially for children from low-income families and as children reach adolescence. A smaller-scale study found […]
