e-Newsletter: May 2008
A Message from LPFI...
In the past few months, LPFI has been undertaking a number of activities which broaden our impact on diversity and fairness. Our Workplace program is actively searching for companies to participate in their ground breaking research on mitigating bias; Ben Jealous, President of the NAACP visited our offices and spoke with our Education Program team; and we have hosted in-house lectures on “stereotype threat” from Stanford professor Claude Steele and on the Obama education transition team from Cal professor David Kirp. As the spring brings high school and college graduations, LPFI is also wishing our graduates well and recruiting new participants for SMASH and IDEAL programs.
The Board of Directors and staff are working hard to implement top-notch programs and run a lean and nimble organization during challenging times. As tuition increases and people of color disproportionately face pink slips, we encourage you to act generously toward our work. Your generosity is crucial to our ongoing success. Thank you for joining us to take on these important projects and advance the cause of fairness.
(photo above is of staff Genevieve Negron-Gonzales and Jeremiah Sims at the IDEAL recruitment reception)
SMASH Scholars at Pixar
Last week, two SMASH scholars visited Pixar Studios for an exclusive "behind the scenes" tour with Pixar animators. Our scholars were inspired to see what a professional animator's workspace really looks like, and attended a special screening of the-soon-to-be-released animated feature, UP. The students also met with UP's writer/director, Pete Docter, to ask about his education path to an animation career. Thanks, Pixar, for welcoming SMASH and inspiring our scholars!
Shop for LPFI Students
LPFI has just launched a convenient new way for you to support education for students of color. Visit our shopping page to purchase specific items that will help our scholars.
From graphing calculators to college scholarships, you can add items to your cart and simply proceed to the secure PayPal checkout.
100% of your donation will go directly to LPFI Scholars.
LPFI Welcomes New SMASH Cohort
LPFI just welcomed 20 new high school students to the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy. With more than 118 applications, we hand-selected this group through a competitive interview and math assessment process. These rising sophomores will join returning scholars when the SMASH residential program begins this summer at UC Berkeley. All 72 students will be on campus for 5 weeks.
Follow LPFI on Twitter
For bite-sized news about LPFI, follow us at www.twitter.com/LPFI.
New Video About Cal Students of Color
LPFI is in the process of recruiting, reviewing, and selecting new admits to Cal to become part of our IDEAL scholars program. Watch our YouTube video to learn about our new scholars, hear what Cal administrators have to say about IDEAL, and learn how you can get involved.