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Thanks to all who made it out

to our Alumni Holiday Luncheon!

December 29th Alumni and current Scholars of AISS

as well as supporters and staff gathered

at Spoons Grill & Bar in Santa Ana.

This last month we shifted our focus on college-readiness and taking the time to work on our team enterprise projects that we later presented at our annual AISS Fundraiser. We held a showcase for each team’s business enterprise projects! Each team generated a hypothetical business along with a marketing strategy that we presented to the astounding supporters of our program. Each team is still working to elevate their products for the final showcase presented in the AISS BTG event later this year, coming to you in June 2023.

Equally amazing, our class of 2023 scholars have finally submitted all our college applications after our amazing partnership with College Essay Guy and are waiting on our acceptances in the new year!

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Team 2- Monarchs

AISS Class of 2023, Segerstrom High School

Future Robotics Engineer

On December 1st, I received good news from QuestBridge! I became a QuestBridge National College Match Scholar! I matched to Caltech, my dream school!

I want to thank you all (Debbie, Dr. Rojas, Jonathan, Salvador, and Daniela Salazar) for helping me through this process. I couldn't have done this alone and I am extremely grateful that you all have helped me.

Ever since I became an AISS Scholar, I have received the utmost support in preparing for college and my future career. Completing the research paper after my sophomore year helped me explore what I'm most passionate about and connected me to Dr. Sumner Norman. The guest speakers taught me so much about different STEM careers. The networking events taught me to connect with others. The Educational Business Plan helped me get a head start in the college application process by researching a variety of colleges and writing college essays.

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Senior Planner for the City of Pacifica

Masters of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning

from The University of California Irvine

BA in Government & Environmental Science and Policy

from Smith College

AISS Class of 2009, Valley High School

We sat down with AISS Alumna Stefanie Cervantes as she shared

how her experiences at AISS helped to shape her career today!

Hello, my name is Jonathan Arellanes, and I am the Program Manager for The Achievement Institute for STEM Scholars (AISS). I was born and raised in the City of Santa Ana where most of our scholars are from as well. I graduated from Saddleback High School in 2015, and then went on to receive my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cal State Fullerton in 2019. I am planning to go back to school to obtain a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Administration. Apart from AISS, I am also an Instructional Provider for SAUSD’s after school program, Engage 360. My future goal is to become a Principal and to continue working in this field where I have the opportunity to give back to my community.

I started working for AISS as soon as I graduated from Cal State Fullerton. At first, I was quite nervous and excited due to the uncertainty of being in a position like this. Being part of this non-profit organization is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have made.

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