Our Programs
ScholarSpark offers a wrap-around combination of one-on-one mentoring, coaching, tutoring, internship and job advising, plus financial support.
Coffee With A Coach
ScholarSpark’s fundamental offering is one-on-one mentoring with a ScholarSpark Coach. Because most ScholarSpark students are first generation college students, they and their families often need help with the unfamiliar: enrollment forms, student accounts, locating advisors, accessing student portals, registering for classes, and navigating the demands of college life.
We act as a sounding board and provide guidance on communicating with faculty and administrators, accessing campus resources, managing their time, and dealing with the unexpected. We offer a How to Go to College curriculum for our first-year students to address common questions and concerns. Coaches and students follow pre-semester planning sessions with weekly text check-ins and monthly in-person or virtual meetings. To access ScholarSpark’s other programs, students must be active in Coffee With a Coach.
Academics
Many ScholarSpark students are non-native speakers who experience difficulties with college-level English literacy and fluency. In addition, some are underprepared for the rigors of college-level work, especially in research and writing skills. We arrange one-on-one volunteer tutoring on a range of academic subjects and have partnered with a local nonprofit that provides tutors who are professionally trained to help English Language Learners (ELL). We also help with time management and assignment planning.
WorkSpark: Jobs and Internships
First generation college students generally don’t have social or professional networks to orient them toward careers and into jobs. WorkSpark supplements universities’ career services with networking opportunities, resume and cover letter preparation, informational interviews, interview practice, and basic business etiquette. The program is held in the first quarter of a calendar year. Students complete 1) an updated resume, 2) cover letter and 3) one informational interview. Upon completion students are awarded a small stipend.
Scholarships
ExtraSpark Fund
ScholarSpark’s Extra Spark Fund responds to a student’s unexpected needs and funds opportunities to improve students’ experience on campus. Over the years we have provided computers, software and graphing calculators. We have funded English as a Second Language classes and textbooks, daily planners, summer writing/grammar workshops, and book clubs to strengthen students’ writing and reading skills. We fund enrichment opportunities that may be out of the reach of our students: important but not emergent costs, like a stipend for a life-changing unpaid internship, a flight for a study abroad program, and other costs that would make our students’ college experiences more equitable when compared to that of more affluent students.
Year 2+ Fund
ScholarSpark sponsors a competitive application for last-dollar scholarship funding. We recognize that after their first year, many students have a financial gap because patchwork first year funding often includes an array of small ($1,000-$2500) one year scholarships that disappear, threatening their steady progress and creating extreme stress. Even small gaps are devastating for our students and are often the main reason students cannot complete their education.