Menu of Opportunities

This Alliance Ambassador Leadership program is designed to support community leadership through a scholarship and leadership curriculum during the 4 years of an Alliance student’s college experience. During an Ambassador’s students’ time at CSUSM, Ambassadors within The Alliance mentor K-12 students, coach one another, develop leadership skills, and develop activities within each Alliance initiative. In their first year, Alliance Ambassadors focus on the transition to college. They are paired with experienced Alliance Ambassadors as mentees to ensure they feel connected and begin to learn their role within The Alliance. During the Ambassador’s second and third year, they begin formalizing leadership skills as they coordinate, implement, and mentor K-12 students within the CSUSM region. During their fourth and final year, as seniors, they a serve as role models to fellow Ambassadors and CSUSM students with a laser focus on post-college career plans and preparation.

Entering freshman from Alliance school districts can apply to be an Alliance Ambassador, during October 1st– February 1st of a student’s senior year in high school. Ambassador paper screening and interviews occur between September – November of their first semester as a freshman in attendance at CSUSM.

For more information and an application, visit our Alliance Scholarship Program webpage.

The AMUs provide a monthly meeting place for Alliance students to connect/meet each other, learn about services offered on campus, engage in thoughtful conversations about meaningful topics, eat lunch, and understand how The Alliance can support them. Members of the campus community routinely accept invitations to present, which also speaks to the value of the AMUs. During each AMU, an opportunity drawing is held for items such as, transit cards (bus passes), CSUSM meal cards, and campus swag; we also provide free school supplies and other resources.

To learn more about how to attend an AMU please visit our Alliance Student Events webpage.

This annual event, The Counselors’ Forum, creates a space for high school and middle school counselors from all Alliance districts to come together to focus on meeting the needs of the whole student – academic, cognitive, social, and emotional – and to discuss best practices in helping districts and students achieve the goals set forth by the Memoranda of Understanding. The Alliance is focused on a continuous improvement cycle of inquiry with all programs and therefore this year’s 2020 Counselors’ Forum will contain speakers and workshops based on the input and results of a Counselor Needs Assessment Survey.

For more information about how to attend please visit our Middle and High School Counselor Forum webpage.

The Family Alliance, Community Exchange (FACE) program supports families in nurturing an environment of cognitive, social, and emotional success individually and collectively. This workshop provided one night per week for 8-weeks of curriculum focused on the Habits of Mind, characteristics of successful individuals, such as, curiosity, flexibility, engagement, openness, creativity, integrity, responsibility and persistence. It is grounded in the belief that connections among families and schools have a positive impact on student achievement and resilience can be cultivated. Each week’s session is guided by one of these specific Habit of Mind or way of being. When families and educators create environments to foster these habits and when youth understand how successful people react to challenging situations, they learn how to be successful in academics, career, and life. Each night of the event includes a family meal and age appropriate learning experiences.

If you would like to schedule a FACE program in your district or school site, please contact Kathleen Corona at kcorona@csusm.edu.

The Alliance College LINK Mentor Program (ACLMP) is a voluntary, one-on-one mentorship between a student (mentee) and a CSUSM upperclassmen Alliance student (peer mentor). Peer mentors are knowledgeable upperclassmen Alliance students who channel positive energy and showcase genuine interest to positively impact the lives of students. Peer mentors assist students in a variety of areas. Students are guided and supported beginning in the summer all through the end of their first year of college. During the summer, students virtually meet with their peer mentors weekly to receive guidance and support on how to prepare for the fall semester like learning about course planning, enrollment registration, distance learning communication and so much more.

For more information in joining ACLMP, visit The Alliance College LINK Mentor Program (ACLMP) webpage

The Alliance offers high school and middle school College-Readiness Zoom in the Room roadshows to all ten Alliance partner school districts. The Alliance offers six Zoom in the Room roadshows: (1) College Readiness, (2) What It Takes to Get Into College, (3) Conversation with a College Student, (4) A Day in the Life of a College Student, (5)  STEM, and (6) Career Ready!  Zoom in the Room roadshows focus on why school is important, what it takes to get to college, how a college student's life is like, and how the guaranteed admission program works.  

Learn more about how to it get our Alliance Ambassadors in your classroom by visiting our High School and Middle School Roadshows webpage. 

The Summer Alliance LINK Academy (SALA) is a six-week summer program open to incoming Alliance STEM students giving them a glimpse of the college experience and a head start to their undergraduate journey before their freshman year of college. Students are introduced to the rigors of a university-level math curriculum by taking Math 125: Precalculus (4 units of academic credit). They also become knowledgeable of campus programs and resources by taking GEL 101: The Student, The University, The Community (3 units of academic credit). When class is not in session, students engage with faculty in their STEM discipline and partake in enrichments activities to obtain greater knowledge of their STEM pathway.

To learn more about SALA and how to participate, please see our Summer Alliance LINK Academy webpage.

Open to all 10 Alliance partner school districts. Each district may bring 25 high school juniors and/or seniors. A presentation is held to prepare the students about what to expect at the fair and how to interact during the fair. Lunch is provided. Students meet with department representatives and academic advisors regarding the available majors and minors at CSUSM

For more information about how to attend our next Major/ Minor Fair please contact Kathleen Corona, kcorona@csusm.edu