Underground Scholars Initiative

Underground Scholars students gather under a tent at an outdoor tabling event.

UCR’s prison-to-university pipeline program gets $300K grant from California Wellness Foundation

The Underground Scholars Program at the University of California, Riverside has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the California Wellness Foundation, or Cal Wellness, to help young people involved with the juvenile justice system enroll and succeed in higher education. “Cal Wellness is delighted to support the UC Riverside Underground...

By Malinn Loeung | November 6, 2023 | Students, University

Grants support programming for Underground Scholars Initiative

The money comes from UC Berkeley’s Underground Scholars, via grants from the Andrew Mellon and Crankstart foundations to support the expansion of the Underground Scholars model UC-wide.

By Sandra Baltazar Martínez | May 25, 2021 | Students

Beyond Brilliant: From juvenile detention to college graduation

A felony conviction gave Ramón Leija the determination to turn his life around.

By Sandra Baltazar Martínez | October 14, 2019 | University, Beyond Brilliant