For UCLA entering freshman Elijah Ozuna, gang culture, criminal activity and drug abuse are normal parts of the world where he grew up in Los Angeles. He’s seen these things on the streets in his Crenshaw and Inglewood neighborhoods, at his high school and in his own family. Ozuna knew that he didn’t want to end up like his father, brother and others in his neighborhood — working low-paying jobs, ending up incarcerated or dead. But he also didn’t know how to avoid it.
His mindset changed when he learned of his high school’s partnership with UCLA’s Vice Provost Initiative for Pre-College Scholars (VIPS) program, which prepares students from 10 of the lowest-performing high schools in Los Angeles and Pasadena to become competitively eligible for admission to the nation’s top postsecondary institutions. Now he’s one of 13 VIPS graduates from his cohort to enter UCLA as freshmen this fall.
“My 10th grade year — I didn’t know I was going to college,” said Ozuna, who graduated from Crenshaw High School this year. “I didn’t even know that I wanted to go to college. I was just getting through high school and ready to become an adult. VIPS showed me I could do anything I want and that university can help you determine what you want to do in life. Other people are motivated by making fast cash on the streets. I am motivated by making good money through a good job, and you need a good education to do that.”
Ozuna has already found his path. He enters UCLA as a mathematics/econ major interested in a career in finance.
“VIPS is a model academic program that clearly demonstrates what can be achieved when we commit to breaking down the barriers that prevent our most talented and brightest students from underserved and under-resourced communities from pursuing a college education,” said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, UCLA’s associate vice-chancellor for enrollment management.
The VIPS program, established in 2005 and administered by UCLA’s Academic Advancement Program (AAP),offers mentoring, SAT and ACT prep courses, enrichment programs, summer residential programs, access to scholarships and other resources to qualified students. It is one of many UCLA outreach programs that aim to promote a college-going culture by providing underserved students with academic preparation and other resources to help them succeed at the postsecondary level.
To date, 97 percent of the program’s 250 core participants have gone on to four-year colleges. About half of those have come to UCLA. Other members of Ozuna’s cohort are now students at UC Berkeley, Yale, Northwestern, Tulane, Emory, Howard, Morehouse and other top universities.
“VIPS is one of UCLA’s most successful outreach programs,” said Charles Alexander, associate vice provost of diversity and director of AAP. “Many of the participants had no plans of attending college when recruited; however, their participation in the program not only contributes to the number of underrepresented students attending UCLA, but also many other top universities in the country.”
In addition to a two-week stay at UCLA to help rising high school juniors hone their writing skills and a five-week residential program for high school seniors that enables them to earn college credits, Ozuna also completed AAP’s six-week Freshman and Transfer Summer Program that serves first-generation, low-income and historically underrepresented groups. This year, roughly 200 freshmen and 200 transfer students took part in the summer enrichment program, which offers each the opportunity to earn 12 academic units.
Keeping mum about his acceptance
Ozuna has also been motivated by his mother, whom he calls his greatest role model. “My mom was a very influential figure in my life, as far as showing me that you can do it for yourself,” he said. “She raised four children on her own, working three jobs while our father was incarcerated. She has been through it all, but still managed to provide a decent life for her children.”
Ozuna kept the news of his acceptance to UCLA under wraps for three days before telling his mom the good news. He was worried about what her reaction would be.
“She started screaming,” he said. “She picked me up. I didn’t even know she was that strong. She picked me up by my knees and threw me over her shoulder, and she was walking around the house and just jumping. She was crying. It was pretty joyful.”
Defying the odds
The fact that Ozuna is now a UCLA student is exceptional, said education professor Tyrone Howard, who is director and founder of UCLA’s Black Male Institute. Howard was Ozuna’s teacher and mentor through VIPS.
“Young Latino males from South Los Angeles typically do not end up at UCLA, and that is unfortunate,” said Howard. “Many, for a variety of reasons, do not pursue postsecondary education, while far too many end up facing challenging lives, which include placement in the penal system.”
The institutional and individual challenges, said Howard, are largely tied to structural, economic and historical factors that have “plagued groups of color in this country; segregated schools and communities; lack of access to employment and other wealth-building mechanisms; as well as self-defeating behaviors that many victimized groups often internalize, which contribute to their circumstances.”
Howard said that Ozuna’s success was due in large part to his extraordinary dedication to his education and his belief that his environment did not have to become a reflection of his future.
“Elijah is someone who did not fall prey to the stereotype which says that young men of color cannot overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in challenging circumstances,” said Howard. “It just goes to show that with the appropriate supports, there can be more young men like Elijah.”