I AM program mentors L.A. students to pursue higher ed dreams

Ten years ago, Carlos Galan was a 17-year-old at Belmont High School, struggling to learn English after moving from El Salvador to the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. This fall, Galan will be a PhD candidate in higher education administration and policy at University of California, Riverside.

Much of his education success, Galan says, is thanks to a mentor.

That mentor is William G. Tierney, University Professor and Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education in the USC Rossier School of Education and the co-director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education. The two met through the Pullias Center’s I AM program, which pairs high school seniors with Pullias Center staff and USC graduate students for one-on-one mentoring through the college and financial aid application process.

“Going to college—I just didn’t know what that would take,” Galan said, explaining that without the I AM program, he likely would not have gone from high school straight to a four-year college. “At the very best, maybe I would have gone to community college, but I don’t think I would have gotten out of community college, or I would barely be transferring now. Or I would have gotten a job, because there was pressure for me to start working as well.”

But with Tierney’s advice and encouragement, Galan applied not just to a handful of colleges and universities, but also for merit and need-based financial aid. In the end, he received a few scholarships and chose to go to the University of California, Los Angeles.

I AM got its start in 2005, with the goal to improve college access for disadvantaged students in Los Angeles. So far, close to 2000 students have gone through the mentoring program.

For many students, the mentoring program proves pivotal. And for Galan, his relationship with I AM continued far beyond his admission to UCLA. He kept in touch with Tierney, who encouraged Galan to work in education after he graduated from UCLA. Galan ended up returning to I AM, this time as a coordinator for the program at the Pullias Center—while concurrently pursuing his master’s of education in educational counseling at USC.

“I liked the idea of giving back to the community where I grew up,” Galan said about working for the I AM program. “I actually got to work with siblings and cousins of people I had gone to school with.”

In May, Galan received his master’s; this August, Galan will start his PhD program at UC Riverside. His goal is to work in higher education administration, or to help shape higher education policy.

Galan is one of many I AM alumni who have gone on to pursue postbaccalaureate degrees. Ernesto Urbina, a 2006-2007 alumnus, received a bachelor’s in mathematical sciences at University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s in teaching at USC; he now works as a high school math teacher. Christian Portillo, another alumnus of the program, attended University of California, Santa Cruz as an undergraduate, then received his master’s in social welfare from UCLA.

In addition, Christine Rocha (pictured above), an I AM alumna from 2011-2012, is pursuing a master’s in postsecondary administration and student affairs at USC Rossier School of Education. Like Galan, she too returned to the I AM program after receiving her bachelor’s; she currently directs the I AM program.

“As an I AM mentee, having a mentor who believed in me allowed me to push past boundaries in order to accomplish my ultimate goal of getting into college,” said Rocha. “This program has also influenced my professional aspirations by showing me the impact and importance of education within the community I grew up in.”

I AM is currently in the process of getting in touch with program alumni to track outcomes for its participants. Meanwhile, 75 new high school seniors got their start in this year’s I AM mentoring program earlier this month.

“I hope the I AM program will help the students apply and gain acceptance to college while building networks outside of their high school environment this year,” said Galan. “Applying and graduating from college is something that can potentially change families and family generations for the years to come. It certainly changed my family and the expectations I have for my younger siblings.”

To get involved in the I AM program as a mentor or mentee, contact Rocha at rochac@usc.edu.