Cal State San Bernardino received a $360,000 grant from California State University (CSU) that will provide targeted support, resources and services to Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students. The grant has been used to create CSUSB’s Yotie Oso Undergraduate Retention for Success (YOURS) Program, which will enhance support to AANHPI students and foster Inland Empire area relationships.

CSU awarded $6.4 million in funding to support AANHPI Student Achievement Program campus activities. The awards are part of an annual $8 million appropriations as directed by Assembly Bill 190 to establish a central statewide office, which will be housed at Sacramento State University.  

CSUSB was one of 19 CSU campuses that applied for the one-time funding, which will contribute to culturally responsive learning communities, advising services, mental health counseling, career development services, and supplemental instruction throughout the CSU system.

The YOURS Program is a collaborative effort between the divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. The free summer bridge program, held July 14-17, provided incoming first-year and transfer students the opportunity to build community, connect with peer mentors and student-led support groups, and attend workshops. During the program, students stayed in the residential halls, where they were introduced to the campus community and college life.

Ultimately, the program aims to increase enrollment, retention, persistence and graduation while focusing on closing disaggregated equity gaps. The YOURS Program focuses on academic achievement through high-impact practices, including peer-to-peer engagement, culturally relevant mentorship and programs, co-curricular experiences and community-building pathways.

The first-year cohort of first-time freshmen and incoming transfer students consists of 308 students. Between incoming and continuing students, the program will serve 1,054 students in its inaugural year.

YOURS is the first of many programs to support AANHPI students with the grant. During the academic year, the YOURS Program will continue to provide support and resources to the cohort of students, as well as to pre-college and continuing CSUSB AANHPI students. Additionally, the program is collaborating with the Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American Center and AANHPI student, staff and faculty organizations on campus to share resources, coordinate services and work together on future programming.

Kurt Manio, director of First Star Academy and associate director of Cal-SOAP, and Sara DeMoss, director of Mentoring and College Advising, serve as the co-directors of the YOURS Program. Bringing their expertise to the program, together they lead pre-college efforts, as well as first-year and continuing student success. Manio oversees the engagement efforts with pre-college students who identify as AANHPI, connecting them with resources and support, and DeMoss oversees the first-year and continuing student academic support programming, providing guidance to students as they navigate their academic journey.