The Ivy League Project is something that was created by Martín Mares. The goal of this project, as mentioned on the website, is the following: “The Ivy League Project (ILP) was founded by Martín Mares in 1992 to encourage economically disadvantaged students to apply to the most prestigious universities in America. The program selects the most talented and promising 10th and 11th grade students and guides them through the college application process.”
During the 2022-2023 school year, Mares brought the ILP to Pitman High School. For weeks, there were flyers around the campus encouraging students to take part in it. The requirements were the following: 1) 7th – 12th graders, 2) Students must be enrolled in College Prep, Honors, or Advanced Placement classes, and 3) Students must have a 3.5 grade point average or higher.
A group of about 20 kids from Pitman High School (PHS) was selected and another similar group was chosen from Turlock High School (THS). Together, Mares and Marie Russell, the Director of Communications, Family Engagement and Outreach, along with Angelica Cardenas Ayala, the Coordinator of Equity Initiatives, helped the students to train their soft skills and communications skills in order to better prepare them for life.
There have been several Saturday workshops with students doing activities that involve speaking and communicating with poise and confidence. This helps the student get used to such skills so they can use them in the future when the time comes for them to meet with college recruiters, administrators, etc.
The ILP also involves a trip to the East Coast to visit various memorials/monuments and the Ivy League schools. This trip is meant to prepare students for their possible college/university choices; they are able to see the schools in person so they can make connections and informed choices about where they want to study further in their academic lives.
This year the cost for the trip was $2,750 per student; the amount covered the flight, transportation to the different states and schools, hotels and one dinner. The trip is 6 days and 5 nights long. As per the itinerary, the students left from San Francisco International Airport on March 30th and landed back on April 5th. Students visited 20 different places including memorials and universities! Stay tuned for a full trip review!