If you’re a Stockton student interested in scholarship opportunities at Pacific, make sure to check out the Community Involvement Program (CIP). From the benefits of the program to how to apply, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this special opportunity for local, first-generation college students to thrive at Pacific while giving back to the Stockton community. 

Pacific’s Director of Enrollment, Access and Inclusion, Mario Fuentez, who is also a CIP alumnus, urges local students to take advantage of the opportunity.  

“CIP is such an impactful program that supported me to complete my undergraduate degree at Pacific and I didn’t need to take out school loans. And now, I want other Stocktonians to have this same life-changing experience as well.”

What is the Community Involvement Program? 

The Community Involvement Program is a need-based scholarship and retention program for first-generation college students from the Stockton community who show leadership potential. It was started in 1969 by a group of Stockton students and community members who wanted to increase educational opportunities for under-represented groups in the local community.  

“The purpose has been and still is to ensure that Stockton students have access to a quality undergraduate education that will provide them with an opportunity to improve their quality of life,” says Director of CIP Karen Collins. “When they have the opportunity to obtain a bachelor’s degree, they are also likely to experience social mobility that will benefit their families and communities in Stockton.” 

The CIP scholarship pays up to $40,000 of tuition and fees per school year, providing access to a college education for low-income students. The program also provides opportunities for scholars to develop their leadership skills by mentoring and tutoring students in Stockton schools, as well as participating in other volunteer projects in the community.  

Community service 

CIP scholars engage in one of three mentoring programs:  

• CIP CHASE Your Dreams Achieve Nothing Less, which serves local elementary schools 
• CIP CHASING Transfer Success, which serves San Joaquin Delta College students 
• CIP literacy promotion programs, which promote higher education and self-efficacy, as well as provide tutoring services 

Cynia Manning ’24, a political science major, says her volunteer work in CIP has encouraged her to “plant seeds within the Stockton community.”  

“I’ve established my own mentor program called Cohort Cares that creates an opportunity for incoming students in CIP to have support from current CIP students through workshops familiarizing them with resources at Pacific,” she says. “I’ve also served as a CHASE mentor, where I have helped mentor and assist junior high students outside of their classroom hours.” 

Cohort experience 

Beyond the financial aid benefits and community service opportunities, CIP also provides a supportive community to help you navigate your college experience at Pacific.  

“Each cohort forms a sort of learning community where they bond tightly during their undergraduate experience and after they graduate,” says Manning. “While at UOP they study together, often live together, socialize together, volunteer in the community together, and participate in other UOP organizations together.” 

Izzi Gomez ’24, who is currently working toward his Master of Accounting degree, says he attributes the success of his academic journey at Pacific to CIP.  

“As a first-year, being able to meet so many fellow scholars of all years and majors, I was really able to find my sense of belonging,” he says. “I felt like I had a second home filled with mentors who were eager to answer all and any questions I had and always gave amazing advice about college.” 

Qualifications to apply 

• U.S. citizen or permanent resident 
• First-generation college student (neither parent/guardian has earned a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university in the U.S.) 
• Stockton resident for at least the past 3 years 
• Apply for admission and be admitted to University of the Pacific as a new incoming first-year undergraduate student for the fall semester from a Stockton high school or as a transfer student from San Joaquin Delta College 
• Awarded a Pell Grant 
• Demonstrate evidence of involvement and volunteerism in the community 
• Committed to using your education to improve the Stockton community 

How to apply  

Ready to apply? Here’s how it works. The application portal opens August 1 and closes February 13 (but if you are unable to submit your application within this timeframe, please email cip@pacific.edu). 

In order to apply, you’ll need to: 

• First, apply to Pacific (create an account and login information) 
• Second, apply to CIP (log in with the same login credentials as your Pacific application) 

In your personal statement, be sure to discuss your community awareness and involvement and why you are passionate about being involved in the Stockton community. It’s also a good idea to tell the person who is writing your letter of recommendation that you are applying to CIP and ask them to discuss your community involvement as well.  

Once you have submitted your application, you may be invited to participate in an on-campus interview. If you are accepted to become a CIP scholar, you will be able to attend a mandatory CIP retreat in August.  

Get in touch  

If you are interested in applying but are feeling uncertain or intimidated, don’t hesitate to reach out to the CIP program staff! They are eager to learn more about you and help you through the application process.  

“We are constantly in SUSD schools presenting CIP information sessions, but we also hold space in our offices or via Zoom to meet with students and their families one-on-one to go more in depth about CIP,” said Manning. “Additionally, the staff and CIP Scholars work together to facilitate application workshops and personal statement bootcamps to help demystify the process.” 

To learn more about CIP, please email cip@pacific.edu or call 209.946.2436. 

This Hispanic Heritage Month, iconic labor and women’s rights activist Dolores Huerta returned to University of the Pacific, her alma mater, with a strong message of empowerment for students. At the end of her speech, she asked the audience to stand and repeat after her:

“Who’s got the power?!”

“We’ve got the power!”

“What kind of power?”

“People power!”

“¡Sí se puede!”

“¡Sí se puede!”

“Sí se puede,” a Spanish phrase which roughly translates to “Yes we can!” in English, has long been Huerta’s motto, with which she empowers others to make a difference. Her passion for social justice has made Huerta nothing less than a superhero for countless activists not only in the local community, but across the country and throughout the world.

Huerta’s Stockton roots

Growing up in south Stockton, Huerta received her teaching credential from Delta College (then part of Pacific) and taught the children of farmworkers in the local community. Witnessing her students’ hunger every day inspired her to take action and organize farm workers to fight for fair wages.  

Huerta began her career in activism by founding the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO). Through CSO, she met prominent activist César Chávez and worked with him to start the United Farm Workers union, a national organization that continues to champion labor reform for farm workers today.

“Stockton is where I learned about civil rights,” she said.

Throughout her speech, Huerta emphasized the importance of caring for your community and staying politically engaged to enact change.

“We are one human race,” Huerta said. “The only way we have survived on planet Earth is because we have been taking care of each other…and that is what we have to do right now.”

Here are some of our favorite moments and key takeaways from her campus visit.

Take pride in your community

Huerta encouraged students to immerse themselves in the Stockton community and appreciate the cultural contributions of the city’s diverse population.

“We are thankful for our diversity in the Central Valley of California,” Huerta said. “It gave us that knowledge that we needed about music and about culture. There’s so much richness here.”

Take care of each other

During her speech, Huerta asked the audience members to take the hand of the person on their left, then on their right, to emphasize the importance of putting human connection and compassion at the center of social justice work.

“To save our country, to save our democracy, is to take care of each other,” she stressed.

Be engaged

Above all else, Huerta encourages young people to take action and be strong defenders of democracy. With midterms elections coming up this November, Huerta reminded the audience to exercise their right to vote and bring as many people as possible out to the ballot box.

“Not enough people are getting out there and knocking on doors,” she said. “We have the power to change things, but we need to be engaged.”

By the way, ASUOP and the political science department will be hosting a voter registration and information event on October 10, so be sure to attend and spread the word!

Hispanic Heritage Month continues through October 15. Check out the full list of exciting events happening on campus.   

People of Pacific recently stopped by the Intercultural Student Success (ISS) office to chat with director Mario Enriquez. He told us about his journey from Pacific student to working with LGBTQ politicians in Washington, D.C. to finding himself back on campus at Pacific as the new ISS director.   

We asked Mario about his favorite memories on campus (including his very own “Sasha Fierce” moment outside the Janet Leigh Theatre), his hopes for the future of ISS and why students should check out the space.  

Congrats on your new role as director of Intercultural Student Success here at Pacific! How has it been so far?  

Thank you! It’s been fantastic. It’s a lot different from being a student, even from being an alumnus. It’s now about actively being on campus and really thinking about ways that I can support student life and the greater Pacific community. And taking a step back to realize what my Pacific experience was like and what I want to give to the students, the new generation of Pacific Tigers.  

What are your goals for Intercultural Student Success?

I want ISS to be the leader on campus for not just students, but also for the entire university staff, faculty and the leadership to show that we are the ones leading the efforts in convening students of different intersectional identities. As we’re slowly coming out of this pandemic and how we’ve seen the world change and all these issues that are happening politically in the country, from anti-trans legislation to AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) hate, there are a lot of things that are affecting our communities. And with ISS, I really see us being the thought leaders that are bringing all these different groups together.

Do you have anything that you would like to share with students who may not be familiar with ISS?

The space is yours to utilize how you see fit. If you want to bring students together for a meeting for a particular discussion, if you want to plug in movies to our TV sets, even if you just need a place to relax and unwind after a stressful day, the space is yours.

What first inspired you to get involved in issues of diversity, equity and inclusion?  

For me, it’s always been personal. Coming from a low-income area—I’m from Lathrop—my parents struggled. Being part of Success TRiO and interacting with CIP (Community Involvement Program) students, I got to really get to know folks that were low-income and first-generation. And all these similarities with people that I was interacting with day-to-day really motivated me and activated me to get involved on campus and in the community.

And I give thanks to Pacific. It was really during these four years that I really got to apply what I was learning, not just in the classroom but in the community, and also the different clubs I was involved in here on campus. 

Can you tell us more about your experience as a Pacific student?

I had an incredible four years on campus. I lived in The Quad and I was actively involved all throughout campus. And I think for me—which is why I’m so committed to this university—when they talk about student-centered learning and campus environment, they mean it. 

I am a true testament to that. I’m a product of that learning environment and the support that I had over my four years. I was everywhere on campus, you name it: student life, I was part of Greek life, I was one of the first building managers for the DUC (DeRosa University Center) when we opened in 2008 and I was a RA (resident assistant) for a couple of years. I had several leadership positions on campus just everywhere, left and right.

Do you have any favorite memories from your time on campus as an undergrad?

I was always trying to find a way to channel all my energy into campus. I was selected president of the United Cultural Council, which was, at the time, the governing council that oversaw all the culturally based student organizations on campus. And they wanted us to do a big party on campus. We had a mini stage outside Janet Leigh Theater, and we hooked up a microphone and I was the emcee. 

There was something about that night. There was this energy, and something just came over me. It was like Beyoncé and Sasha Fierce. It was like my Sasha Fierce took over and I just had this great energy. And I think that moment, I just felt really connected to the students and what we were doing: getting the word out about the importance of diversity and why students of different backgrounds should be reflected on campus.  

After you graduated from Pacific, your career path took you to Washington, D.C., where you worked as director of domestic programs at the LGBTQ Victory Institute. What led you to this opportunity and what was the experience like?

I reconnected with a mentor of mine who I worked with years ago and he gave me the opportunity to work for the LGBTQ Victory Institute and to be able to work in the queer political space, which was something that I never thought I would do just because I didn’t think there was a job like that. 

In my position, I got to interact with state representatives and mayors and council members, and coming from the Central Valley, I felt even more connected to the elected officials who come from more conservative areas that aren’t as progressive to the LGBTQ community. They were heroes and inspired me to do the work.  So, I had an amazing four years at Victory. 

How does it feel to be able to take those experiences and bring them back to the Pacific and inspire students?

I was always committed to doing everything and learning everything that I could to eventually bring it back to my community. I knew that with everything that I was doing along the way, I would eventually come back and provide that lived experience.

I think we need people of all kinds of experiences. We need people on the ground that have been here for decades with their expertise. We also need people that can go out into the world and come back, and then have those groups collaborate. I think that’s where the real change happens, because you’re bringing all these experiences together and saying what works and what doesn’t and providing solutions to the community. 

Intercultural Student Success is home to Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Desi Student Success, Black Student Success, LatinX and Native American Success, the Gender Equity Center, and the Pride Resource Center. You can learn more about ISS, or contact the office at iss@pacific.edu.

Each February, the United States observes Black History Month, an annual celebration honoring African American history and heritage. Black History Month is an opportunity to learn about the adversities and triumphs of African Americans, as well as a reminder to celebrate Black history and confront racial injustice year-round.  

Pacific’s Black History Month Planning Committee has planned many different programs for the Pacific community to celebrate this month, including renowned speakers, panel discussions, films and even a free health clinic and gospel concert led by the faculty and staff from the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy in partnership with local health organizations.

“It is always exciting to present Black History Month events to the community,” said Randall Ogans, Black History Month Planning Committee co-chair. “It is a reflection of many months of hard work the planning committee has put in and our contribution to moving the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives forward.”

We’ve rounded up some events you won’t want to miss here, all of which are free and available to the entire Pacific community. You can check out the full list of programming here.

From a Yardie to a Yankee

In this one-woman play, actress, writer, comedian and producer Sardia Robinson tells her life’s story, from navigating life in Kingston, Jamaica to the struggles she faced after immigrating to Chicago. The performance will be held at the Long Theater on February 17 from 5-7:00 p.m.

Syracuse 8: Level the Playing Field

The Syracuse 8, student athletes and members of the Syracuse University football team, boycotted the 1970 football season to demand an end to racial discrimination within the football program. They will be in conversation with Pacific alumnus Andrew Thomas ‘90, at Faye Spanos Concert Hall on February 22 from 7-9:00 p.m. 

Health Fair and Gospelfest

Pharmacy faculty and students will facilitate a comprehensive, service-based health fair providing free health screenings and COVID-19 vaccinations. The health fair will be held at Victory in Praise Church from 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m on February 26, followed by a gospel concert at the same location at 7:00 p.m. The concert will be headlined by critically acclaimed musicians Red Hands and Anita Wilson.

Christina Elmore: Black Stories Matter

Christina Elmore is a film, television and theater performer who now stars as Maria on BET’s Twenties. Elmore has also appeared in many other roles, including Condola on the HBO series, Insecure. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an MFA in acting from American Conservatory Theater. Elmore will speak about her experiences in entertainment industry at the Faye Spanos Concert Hall on February 28 from 7-9:00 p.m.