Story

“I had never seen anyone in my family or community attend college and successfully build a career.”  Jessica is a 26-year-old alumna from the inaugural cohort of HWA-SF. She is a first-generation college student and young mother, who has been pursuing her college degree from UC Berkeley since 2009.  As a nontraditional student, she has […]

Amina – HWA-SF Cohort 1, MSW  Amina was a member of the first cohort of HWA-SF. After high school, she started community college and soon transferred to UC Riverside where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. “HWA was a stepping stone. Participating in the program helped me want to continue with school. Vicky was so […]

Sophia, HWA-SF Cohort 2, MSW “HWA provides tender loving care. They really believe in you and motivate you. A lot of kids don’t have parents who can help them, especially first-generation college students. HWA embedded into my heart that I could go to college.” Sophia received a Bachelor’s Degree from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in […]

Saul – HWA-Marin, Currently studying at UC Merced, graduating in 2019 While a student at San Rafael High School, Saul felt, “Huckleberry was a safe place to go. They helped me with personal issues. Young people could get birth control and also deal with a variety of wellness issues.” Saul received help with his college […]

Kimberly, HWA-SF, Currently studying at CSU Monterey Bay, graduating in 2019 Kimberly is currently a junior at CSU Monterey Bay. She will graduate in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Pre-Law minor. She hopes to enter Santa Clara University for law school. “I never thought of college until my senior year of […]

Keila – HWA Marin, Sonoma State University “Being a first-generation student – there are challenges,” says Keila, whose older sister is also a graduate of HWA. Keila received regular check-ins with HWA’s academic case manager to keep her on track to meeting all of the UC/CSU A-G requirements. She also participated in HWA’s SAT & […]