Welcome to ASPIRE+PLLUS
ASPIRE+PLLUS is a student support program that helps minimize barriers in marginalized communities within the AAPI community to promote academic and personal success among students. The acronym stands for Asian Pacific Islander Resources for Excellence plus Powerful Leadership and Learning for Unified Success.
A short recap video of our ASPIRE+PLLUS program at Evergreen Valley College.
EVC Instagram: @evergreenvalleycc
ASPIRE+PLLUS Instagram: @evcaspirepllus
2023-2024 Recognition Night
Thank you everyone for coming to our ASPIRE+PLLUS very FIRST Recognition Night to celebrate our students' achievements with us!
Congratulations to all our students who are transferring and graduating this year! We're very proud of you all.
Connect with us on Instagram: @evcaspirepllus
Check out flickr.com/photos/evergreenvalleycc for more photos!
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Career Mentorship
- Provide students with culturally responsive one-on-one and group mentorship sessions
- Preparation for internship, work-experience learning, and career placement opportunities aligned with students’ academic majors
Mental Health Support
ASPIRE+PLLUS is dedicated to the well-being of students, recognizing the unique challenges Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students face in regard to mental health and wellness.
- Workshops, discussion groups, and coping spaces.
- Focused on AAPI Mental Health awareness and discussion.
- Opportunities to learn and access mental health resources available both on campus/community.
- Providing a platform for learning and sharing experiences.
Student Leadership
- Connecting with other students at our weekly Kick-It Space
- Student conferences & leadership trainings
- Networking and receiving mentorship from members
- Becoming a student ambassador
- Coordinating student events
Digital Literacy
We're currently working on this. Please stay tune!
NASA Internship & Speaker
Join us on Monday, September 16 to hear from Craig Burkhard, Ph.D. NASA Ames Research Center Project Management Division.
This event is sponsored by Aspire-PLLUS.
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:
- ROLE OF INTERNSHIPS AT NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER.
- SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES ONE GAINS AT AN INTERNSHIP AT NASA.
- APPLICATION PROCESS FOR INTERNSHIPS TO MAKE YOUR APPLICATION STAND OUT.
Upcoming Mental Health Workshops
ASPIRE+PLLUS Mental Health Workshop - Addressing Trauma & Resiliency, September 3 and September 17
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Throughout the duration and aftermath of COVID-19, there has been a spark of further marginalization of the AAPI community as many sociopolitical factors catalyzed an anti-Asian culture climate, especially through students living and working in Silicon Valley.
ASPIRE+PLLUS is a federal grant under the Department of Education’s Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) program, awarded to Evergreen Valley College in 2022. This grant is intended to increase the capacity of student support to the ASPIRE Academic Program created in 2000, which was to support the growth of EVC's Asian student population by providing scholarships, tutoring, and academic counseling. In the past couple of years, COVID-19, anti-Asian sentiment, and remote learning began to negatively impact the AANAPI community, presenting more nuanced challenges to our EVC students.
Because of this, ASPIRE+PLLUS strives to scale up the program's activities to not only mitigate the sociopolitical effects of COVID-19, but to also provide mental health and wellness access, technology access, and relieve the costs of education. This will allow for students from the AAPI community from all backgrounds to be successful.
ASPIRE+PLLUS is federally funded by DOE PR# P031L220022
Brandon Yanari
Brandon.Yanari@evc.edu
Melissa-Ann Nievera-Lozano
Melissa-Ann.Nievera-Lozano@evc.edu