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February 2023
CEO Update
This month we are launching our biggest fundraiser of the year – Opportunity for Impact, held on May 11th at Bali Hai. The event is your opportunity to meet our students and see the impact you are making at BLCI while we raise funds to support even more students in 2023.

Nine years ago, I arrived at BLCI as an Associate Director overseeing eight staff and took on the challenge of expanding our services to Chula Vista. This first cohort of third graders was BLCI’s first attempt at working outside of our home community of Barrio Logan. Today, BLCI operates in five different community sites, with 40 employees, hundreds of students, and those third graders are now high school seniors awaiting college admission letters. The success of our Chula Vista site was the result of our great community and key partners through the Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood.
CEO Sara Boquin welcomes a student to the BLCI career fair
BLCI builds relationships not only with our students, but with their families and our community partners. Retaining quality staff is critical to our program effectiveness and fulfilling our mission. The majority of our staff share similar backgrounds to those we serve. They have completed post-secondary degrees in search of a better life, for most, without the support of a program like BLCI. 

As we slowly come out of the immediate crisis of the pandemic, we see a new challenge with the rising cost of living and inflation. This past year BLCI conducted a compensation analysis which captured pay for similar nonprofits in the region and in Southern California. With the support of our Board, BLCI is committed to investing in our students by investing in our staff.

Our growth and commitment to our staff are breaking the cycle of poverty by preparing underserved students to be the first in their families to attend and graduate college. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and I hope to see you at Opportunity for Impact – tickets are on sale now. 
Sara Boquin
Chief Executive Officer, BLCI
BLCI Awarded $100,000 from Life Science Cares
BLCI was selected as a 2023 Community Partner by Life Science Cares (LSC) and awarded a $100,000 grant to support STEM related activities. BLCI is proud to be entering our third year of partnership with LSC, and grateful for the unique opportunities they have provided. 

Leane Marchese, Executive Director of LSC San Diego shared, "LSC is so proud to support Barrio Logan College Institute. Access to education is a vital pathway out of poverty. BLCI assures that all students get a level playing field by providing support to students with after school tutoring, college application assistance and support while attending college to secure internships and good-paying jobs.  

To support BLCI, LSC leverages the power of the life science industry in San Diego, through high-impact financial grants and with volunteer hours. LSC volunteers have gone on-site to BLCI to share their love of science directly with BLCI students through hands-on STEM demos and career panels. Our volunteers want to ensure students in our community are aware of all the career options that are available to them in the field of the life sciences and work to share the steps of the academic and professional path toward achieving these careers. LSC believes in the work of BLCI and the huge potential of its students!" 

Over the years, the corporate partners of LSC have gone above and beyond to provide exciting experiences for our students and their families. In addition to direct funding, LSC has supported BLCI by inviting their corporate partners to join them in support of BLCI. Projects have had a direct on BLCI students and range from donating new bikes to our elementary school students, to adopting families for the holidays, and providing mentorship opportunities to help students throughout their path to college by modeling how fun a career in science can be. Thank you, LSC, for your commitment to the community and your continued support of BLCI! 

Interested in learning more about our Community Partnership opportunities? Contact info@BLCI.org
Student Spotlight
BLCI Senior Denise recently shared a bit about her story, her goals, and the impact that BLCI has had for her with Giving Back Magazine!

Denise shared, “[BLCI] made me feel like I have a strong hold on my future and made me the type of person that strives to take the harder path and seek leadership roles that make me stronger. If I had not joined this program nine years ago, I do not think I would have ended up in the top ten percent of my class, or even known how to get there! I would not have been prepared for how much dedication and hard work it takes to reach my dreams and aspirations.”

We're excited to catch up with Denise soon to find out how her college admission process has been going - in the meantime, check out her feature in Giving Back Magazine!
Save The Date
Opportunity for Impact is our biggest event of the year and raises funds to ensure underserved students become the first in their family to attend and graduate college. 
 
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities available now. For more information, contact megan@blci.org
Give The Gift of Education
Thank you for helping us break the cycle of poverty through education. With your support, we look forward to another year of sending 100% of our students to college.
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Have questions about our newsletter? Contact us at info@blci.org