Mission

AASPIRES provides culturally competent and reverent learning opportunities, individualized strategic one-on-one guidance, and personalized scholastic feedback that enhance academic exploration, writing/linguistic development, college choice, financial literacy, and holistic self-realization for underrepresented Asian American students and their families to ensure that they do not undermatch when applying to college and/or university.

Our team is working to re-imagine college readiness and preparedness from traditional programs where students focus primarily on test-prep, basic overviews of colleges/universities, and essay writing to a more holistic and human process. Our Scholars are treated as intellectuals who, with the power of accessing uniquely curated academic support, culturally reverent guidance, and unique storytelling opportunities, can explore, in earnest, their interests in scholarly growth and adventure as they journey toward their educational and career aspirations.

We Achieve This By:

1. providing direct regular one-on-one college guidance Zoom sessions that

  1. impart knowledge about the national and international landscape of college admissions to Scholars.

  2. expand Scholars’ understandings of academic, social, and financial fit of colleges and/or universities.

  3. help Scholars develop their four-year plans (including extracurriculars, resume building, standardized test planning, etc.).

  4. focus on developing each Scholar’s writing/linguistic storytelling skills and capabilities.

  5. support Scholars’ applications to local, regional, national, and/or global opportunities.

2. prioritizing the personal and academic growth of each Scholar through

  1. culturally competent, relevant, responsive, and reverent mentorship that affirms their identity(ies), lived reality(ies), family history(ies), and dream(s).

  2. individually tailored academic support that focuses on developing their creative voice, writing ability, study strategy(ies), critical thinking skill(s), and understanding of systems.

  3. holistic guidance around college readiness, community building, financial literacy, differentiated future planning, and identity construction.

  4. strategically curated learning opportunities that provide exposure to nuanced cultural narratives, diverse academic/career pathways, and re-imagined forms of knowing and being.

  5. storying—the imparting of knowledge through traditional meaning-making processes—that empower them to expand their worldviews and refine their intellectual agency.

3. advocating for genuinely holistic evaluation processes and understandings of underrepresented Asian American populations in higher education by

  1. presenting at local, regional, national, and/or global conferences on higher education.

  2. collaborating with high school teachers and/or college support programs to host information sessions about college readiness.

  3. providing consultation services—DEI student recruitment, admission, and retention focused—to admission offices and admission professionals.

  4. partnering with other non-profit organizations and community based organizations to address community and student needs.

  5. writing and submitting letters of recommendation for each AASPIRES Scholar (i.e., college applications, scholarship applications, fellowship applications, and internship applications).

AASPIRES Scholar Forest with AASPIRES’ Executive Director Vince at The MET.

AASPIRES Scholar Forest with AASPIRES’ Executive Director Vince at The MET.

AASPIRES Scholar Alex with AASPIRES’ Executive Director Vince in Halfmoon Bay.

AASPIRES Scholar Alex with AASPIRES’ Executive Director Vince in Halfmoon Bay.

AASPIRES Scholar Reyes with AASPIRES’ Executive Director Vince in New York.

AASPIRES Scholar Reyes with AASPIRES’ Executive Director Vince in New York.