College Is Real and education equity nonprofit 10,000 Degrees have announced a collaborative partnership to provide end-to-end guidance for public high school students in Richmond, California. The collaboration will align high school college-access programming with ongoing scholarship and collegiate support to guide students from graduation through college completion.
WEST CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif., Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- College Is Real (CIR) and 10,000 Degrees, a California-based education equity nonprofit, announced a collaborative partnership designed to expand educational access, strengthen community and provide seamless, end-to-end guidance for students in Richmond's three public high schools as they pursue their post-secondary goals.
College Is Real and 10,000 Degrees are joining forces to build a robust support ecosystem and ultimately achieve far greater impact. By aligning high school college-access programming with comprehensive college and scholarship support, this partnership aims to provide students at Richmond, Kennedy and De Anza High Schools with dedicated guidance throughout their academic journey—from high school graduation all the way to college completion.
Through this partnership, 10,000 Degrees and College Is Real will collaborate closely within these local high schools to prepare students for college entry and success through:
- Shared Curriculum and Joint Workshops: CIR and 10,000 Degrees are sharing their curricula to co-design and deliver impactful student workshops.
- Doubling Student Engagement: Increasing the number of workshops from four to eight per school site across Richmond High, Kennedy High and De Anza High Schools, with a strong focus on community college readiness.
- Unified Financial Aid Assistance: CIR staff will join forces with 10,000 Degrees to provide expanded staffing at financial aid workshops, extending support even beyond core schools to additional neighboring high schools.
To ensure students have the resources needed to earn their degrees, all College Is Real students will be encouraged to apply for the 10,000 Degrees Scholarship. Students with a 10,000 Degrees scholarship will receive ongoing college success support by 10,000 Degrees, including continuous mentoring, financial support and persistence resources until they successfully graduate college.
"This partnership represents a powerful step forward for our West Contra Costa students," said Kim Mazzuca, 10,000 Degrees President & CEO. "By working as one unified team, we are bridging the gap between high school preparation and college graduation, ensuring every student has the tools, guidance and financial support required to achieve their post-secondary dreams."
About College Is Real
College Is Real (CIR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the college-going culture in Richmond's public high schools. CIR works directly with first-generation, low-income students to build college awareness, guide them through the admissions and financial aid process and foster the self-advocacy skills needed to achieve higher education success. For more information on College Is Real please visit www.collegeisreal.org.
About 10,000 Degrees
10,000 Degrees® is a non-profit organization that creates equitable opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds to access quality college education and achieve career success. Operating across Northern California, 10,000 Degrees provides comprehensive college access advising, scholarship management and near-peer college success coaching to help students earn higher education degrees and create lasting change in their communities. For more information about 10,000 Degrees, please visit www.10000degrees.org, or connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
Media Contact
Kyle McIntyre, The TASC Group, 1 (646) 639-1379, [email protected]
Angelica Arriaga, College Is Real, 1 951-312-2789, [email protected]
SOURCE College Is Real
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