During the 2024-25 school year, the Richmond Promise College Access Team will be joined in its work by Near-Peer Ambassadors. These members of our team are current RP Scholars who assist in the execution of in-classroom programming in local high schools. We are pleased to introduce you to one of our 2024-25 Ambassadors, Geovany.

Q: First, some basic info. Tell us your name, current school, the high school you graduated from and your major (or intended field of study):

A: My name is Geovany and I currently attend Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga. I graduated high school from Leadership Public Schools – Richmond. My major is currently Environmental Science with a minor in Physics.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about being an RP Near-Peer Ambassador and what are you hoping to get from the experience?

A: I am looking forward to being an RP Near-Peer Ambassador because I want to help and inform incoming college students about the benefits of college education, but also express the importance of knowing how the financial aid system works. I want to share what I know and help other students be able to have access to the opportunities offered by the government and private organizations.

I am also hoping to gain experience in working with youth, and more experience in talking in front of big groups of people sharing important information that could shape their college career. With the updates to the FAFSA application, it’s important to learn what is new and what the rules are.

Q: If you were going to give advice to a high school senior about going through the college application process, what would it be?

A: One thing I believe is important and I would advise a high school senior to do while going through the college application process is to apply to as many scholarships as possible. Additionally, look at what different scholarship opportunities the school they’re applying to offers, even scholarships specific to your preferred major.

Q: What’s the best part about being in college/what should a high school senior look forward to?

A: College is exciting for many different reasons, the most important being that you can choose a major/career of your choice –something you’re passionate about. You can also join clubs, and student organizations, and you can get a job on campus which offers a lot of flexibility with your school schedule. Additionally, you get to meet new people and form connections that could last for a very long time, and a lot of those connections – especially with professors – could open a lot of opportunities for the future.

Q: What are you most looking forward to after college?

A: As for my own goals in college, I look forward to doing research within my Environmental Science major that can give me a lot of experience in the field. From understanding and working to fight climate change here on Earth to studying Mars’ features with the possibility of future human habitation on the planet.