Students Rising Above and Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley Launch College Access Partnership

New partnership brings SRA's college advising model on-site at the Club, opening a direct pathway into SRA's college persistence programming

SONOMA, Calif., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Students Rising Above (SRA) and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley today announced a new partnership to deliver college access program on-site at the Club, starting in the 2026–27 academic year. The partnership pairs the Club's trusted relationships with young people and their families with SRA's college advising expertise, giving Club members a structured path from junior year of high school through college enrollment and beyond.

Under the partnership, a dedicated SRA pre-college advisor will work alongside the Club's College and Career Program Manager, delivering group workshops and one-on-one advising to juniors and seniors. Seniors will receive intensive application-year support, including college list development, application assistance, and financial aid completion. Juniors will build the foundation for that work: eligibility review, college exploration, and early planning.

The program is designed to close the most common gap in college access work: the point where support disappears after high school graduation. Seniors who complete the program are eligible to enroll in SOAR, SRA's college persistence program, which follows students from graduation through their degree with ongoing advising, mentorship, career development, and access to emergency and basic-needs support.

"Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley already has what college access programs spend years trying to build: real, trusted relationships with young people and their families. This partnership lets us bring our advising expertise into a space where that trust already exists, so students don't just apply to college, they enter with a trusted advisor already in their corner."

— Eli Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, Students Rising Above

The partnership builds on nearly 30 years of SRA experience in college access and success, and on SRA's Pre-College Bridge Program, developed in 2025 after federal TRIO funding cuts left several East Bay high schools without college counselors weeks before deadlines. SRA raised emergency funds and embedded advisors on those campuses; that work is now on track to serve 300 juniors and seniors in the upcoming academic year. This partnership adapts that school-based model for a community-based setting for the first time.

"At Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, we help young people explore what comes after high school, develop a plan, and take the steps they need to get into college or pursue another path. But getting into college is only half the battle for so many of our students. Staying enrolled, navigating financial aid, and ultimately graduating can be real obstacles, especially for first-generation students. Students Rising Above brings the kind of expert, personalized guidance that can help our young people navigate those challenges, and we're proud to bring that resource directly to the Sonoma Valley kids we serve."

— Danielle Azzalino Hodge, Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley

Since 1998, SRA has guided first-generation students from low-income backgrounds to and through college across all nine Bay Area counties, and more than 2,000 SRA students have earned college degrees. SRA students graduate at a 76% six-year rate, nearly seven times the 11% national rate for comparable students, and four out of five graduate with less than $10,000 in debt.

The partnership will serve approximately 30 seniors and 25 juniors in its first year, with outcomes tracked and reported to the Club on a semi-annual basis, including college application and matriculation rates, financial aid completion, and continued enrollment in SRA programming.

The partnership was made possible through the generous support of a longtime supporter of both Students Rising Above and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, whose gift brought this partnership to life.

Students Rising Above guides first-generation, low-income students to and through college and into strong first careers. Since 1998, SRA has supported students across all nine Bay Area counties through college access, persistence, and career development programming. Learn more at studentsrisingabove.org.

Founded in 1962, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley currently serves more than 2,000 children and teens annually across nine Sonoma Valley locations. BGCSV serves over 60% of the total student enrollment in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District with afterschool programming, athletic leagues, and summer camps. Our mission is to provide positive opportunities for youth and teens, especially those who need us most, to learn, succeed and discover their full potential.

SOURCE Students Rising Above