What happened in our Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Program in the 2017-2018 school year? This year, we welcomed 13 students into the program, nine of whom attended community colleges and four attended 4-year universities. We also embarked on a seven-month Dialogues in Action (DIA) project to analyze the impact of our Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS) program using a blended qualitative and quantitative evaluation model. Through this process, we had an opportunity to view our program through the lens of the scholarship recipients, past and present, and their mentors to determine opportunities to enhance our program delivery.
Celebrating Our Graduating Scholars
An image of our three graduating scholars: Zaphire, Lexi, and Domminiece holding up awards.
Three of our scholars graduated from community college last year and transferred to San Diego State University starting in the fall of 2018. Learn more about them!
Zaphire Alonso Duarte
College: Graduated from San Diego City College, transferring to San Diego State University in Fall 2018
Area of Study: Social Work
WAWS Recipient: 5 Years
“Words Alive has helped me more than just financially. The Words Alive program has been my support system both personally and academically. I am extremely thankful for all the people who are part of the staff; they are the best at always being on top of our schoolwork and lives.”
Zaira “Lexi” Martinez
College: Graduated from San Diego City College, transferring to San Diego State University in Fall 2018
Area of Study: Clinical Social Work
WAWS Recipient: 2 Years
“My experience with Words Alive has always been extremely positive. My love for reading has been restored since I have been involved with them and I’ve always found a valuable support system within the organization.”
Domminiece Willis
College: Graduated from Southwestern College, transferring to San Diego State University in Fall 2018
Area of Study: Child Development
WAWS Recipient: 5 Years
“Since becoming a WAWS scholar, I have focused more on celebrating my achievements, big or small. I understand that my educational journey is not like everyone else’s and that I will move at my own pace and in my own way, but I will make it to the finish line.”
Reporting Out
The Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS) program supports scholars’ whole-person development by providing 1:1 mentor support and personal and professional development workshops. Take a look at the impact!
Moving Forward
We’ll be enhancing the mentorship program by providing scholars and mentors better tools for building their relationship and tracking their progress. Through a deep evaluation process of the WAWS program with Dialogues in Action, we discovered that a high level of consistent mentor engagement is the key to success for our students!