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Our Mission

Investing in students since 2005

COLLEGE IS REAL'S MISSION IS TO CHANGE THE COLLEGE-GOING CULTURE IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA.


“We know that Zach and I aren’t going to have this platform forever, but it’s amazing to think of what a little bit of hope, or compassion, or even just an opportunity, can help somebody succeed. So, we’ve partnered with College Is Real to provide funding to start a program at Kennedy High School.”

– JULIE JOHNSTON ERTZ, TWO TIME FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP CHAMPION, ERTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION


THIS SHORT VIDEO TELLS THE CIR STORY

100%

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

90-100%

FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE AND ATTENDANCE

Colleges Attended

  • University of California: Berkeley, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis, Santa Cruz, Irvine, and Merced

  • California State Universities: San Luis Obispo, San Diego, East Bay, Northridge, Chico, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Sonoma, Humboldt, and Stanislaus

  • Private Universities: Stanford University, Brown University, University of San Francisco, Saint Mary's College of California, Holy Names University, Knox College, Wittenberg University, and Art Institute of San Francisco


Demographics of Students

CIR serves a diverse and broad range of students reflective of the community and schools. The racial mix of students is as follows: LatinX 70%; Asian 16%; Black/African American 9%; Pacific Islander 2%; White 2%; Native American 1%


"I’ve always cared about my education, but when I got to high school I didn’t know what steps I needed to take to make it to college. College Is Real made that path clear. They provided me with the resources and the guidance that has made everything up until this point possible.”

– MIGUEL DE LA CRUZ, RICHMOND HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2018, CURRENTLY ATTENDING UC SANTA BARBARA


NBC Bay Area

NBC Bay Area

East Bay group continues to pave the way to college for hundreds of Richmond youth. Giving hope to young people in a community where they often see little of it. That’s what College Is Real has been doing for close to 20 years. Garvin Thomas shares the latest Bay Area Proud.

Watch NBC Bay Area’s news article here.

Our Approach

College Is Real

Our Approach

CIR provides education, motivation, resources and support to low-income, minority students who demonstrate academic potential, have college aspirations, and who typically will be the first in their families to attend college. We succeed by having a professional on-site program director and providing each of our students with an experienced mentor. CIR’s College Success Program implemented in 2022 provides direct counseling and scholarship support to our college students to help them with persistence toward earning a college degree.

Once in the program our students gain confidence and challenge themselves with goals that previously may have seemed impossible to reach. We’ve succeed by having a professional on-site program director on each campus and by providing students with mentors in an individual or group setting. CIR has at least a ten-year commitment to its students starting in middle school and lasting through college and sometimes beyond. With a 100% high school graduation rate and with 90-100% of our students being accepted by four-year colleges each year, College Is Real works!

 

CIR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID number is 20-8651702