Cal State San Bernardino has been awarded a $15,000 IMPACT Grant from Liaison, a leading provider of higher education application technology, for a new mentorship initiative that aims to connect college students with underserved youth in the region.

The proposal was submitted by Brianna Deadman, assistant director for the CSUSB Honors College and director of membership for ALFSS (Association of Latin Faculty, Staff and Students), and Juan Silva, university registrar and director of the Office of the Registrar. Their submission earned second place in Liaison’s nationwide grant competition.

The winning project, titled the College-to-Community Mentorship Program, is designed to support middle and high school students in the Coachella Valley and Inland Empire — regions where immediate college enrollment rates fall below the state average. The program will create long-term mentorship opportunities between CSUSB students and local youth, with the goal of increasing college access, confidence and preparedness.

“Juan and I worked together through ALFSS on LatinX Grad ’24, and around that time, Juan found out more about the IMPACT Grant,” said Deadman. “We missed the deadline last year, but when it came around again, Juan suggested we apply. A handful of my honors students have been expressing interest in mentoring at their former high schools, so when we were thinking of projects to propose that would benefit our students and our community, I suggested we develop a mentorship program. We worked on the proposal together, submitted, and were so thrilled to hear we won.”

The mentorship program will include structured sessions where CSUSB students share insights and transferable skills from their own educational experiences, such as navigating college admissions, selecting majors, joining student organizations and applying for internships. The program will emphasize real-life strategies and peer-based encouragement to help younger students see college as an achievable and exciting goal.

“Brianna and I really wanted to focus on an area that will not only hopefully create a lasting impact for our students who will serve as mentors, but also with the hope of continuing to build a deeper connection with the community itself. We want to make sure that those families that will benefit from this program will see and spread the word that our university is working tirelessly to improve social mobility and offer opportunities that are geared towards the overall success of our community as a whole.”

“Our next steps are developing the structure and logistics of the program,” added Deadman. “The plan is to have the new CSUSB Honors College (formerly the Honors Program) launch the pilot program when it is ready.”