4 CUSD Students Selected for Summer NAF Future Ready Scholars Program at UC Berkeley

Media Release
May 24, 2024 

Four Compton Unified NAF 9th-grade scholars have been accepted to the NAF Future Ready Scholars Program at UC Berkeley this summer. The four scholars – Centennial High School’s Tyson Devers and Dayanara Perez, and Compton High School’s Rodrigo Garcia and Alexander Contreras – will experience a free, STEAM-focused college and career access program for students in California NAF Academy high schools.

The program consists of two main components: a residential summer program at UC Berkeley Campus and participation in virtual workshops/events throughout the school year.

During the summer residential program, NAF Future Ready Scholars @ UC Berkeley provides accelerated classes rooted in solving real-world problems and exposure to STEM fields. The academic rigor is alloyed with a strong community experience. Scholars stay on UC Berkeley’s campus from July 13 to July 17.

Scholars are also provided with College Success programming. This component ensures students are intentionally supported with their college and career exploration, preparation, and goals. The “College Success Workshops” are led by CEP staff. During these workshops, scholars take career inventories and use them to explore occupations and career clusters. Students are also provided with information on A-G requirements, college planning by grade level, and an overview of post-secondary options.

NAF is a national education non-profit that brings schools and businesses together to prepare students of all backgrounds better. At the beginning of this year, Compton Unified School District, along with aerospace and defense company RTX and NAF, opened three NAF Academies of Engineering at Centennial, Dominguez High School, and Compton High School. Nearly 200 students participate in career-focused curricula in computer science, aerospace, and general engineering, which creates new career pathways for them.