The mission of the Academic Advancement Program (AAP) is to promote academic achievement and excellence for students who are low-income, first-generation, immigrant, transfer and/or come from populations that have been historically underrepresented within historically white institutions. AAP aims to widen access, improve retention and graduation rates of students by offering countless resources and programs including the Freshman/Transfer Summer Program. Furthermore, AAP is determined to prepare students to continue to graduate or professional school and develop students into transformative social justice leaders grounded in community. The Freshmen Summer Program (FSP) and the Transfer Summer Program (TSP) are transition programs designed for underrepresented, low-income, immigrant and first generation incoming UCLA students.
As a Peer Learning Facilitator, I contributed to fulfilling the mission of the Academic Advancement Program at large and more specifically that of F/TSP by empowering students to find their true potential, sharing my experiential knowledge, and providing both academic and holistic support. Given my experiences as a Queer, first-generation, low-income, transfer, Ch/Xicanx scholar activist, I am immensely passionate about the access, retention and graduation of underrepresented students. Having the opportunity to work in a space where I can have a positive impact in the lives of incoming students was an incredible experience. I supported students in feeling comfortable, getting acclimated to the academic rigor here, finding their voice and developing their critical consciousness. Having a strong self-confidence and academic self-efficacy is critical to succeed as a student at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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