Caver Ties

Project Focus: Expanding access to college readiness resources for first-generation college students.

Target Audience and Location: Sophomores and juniors at San Diego High School (whose mascot is The Cavers) who will be the first in their family to go to college, and current local college students who are also first-generation college students.

Vision: A future where every first-generation student attends and successfully graduates from college, gaining access to further opportunities, achieving financial stability and supporting and uplifting their families.

Mission: High school students who are first in their families to go to college are equipped with the confidence and connections they need to successfully navigate the college application process through supportive mentoring from first-generation college students.

Project Description: Scholar Liya Getahun and her educator, Jennifer Pickering, co-founded Caver Ties, a mentorship initiative that connects future first-generation high school students with first-generation college mentors to support college readiness. Structured with clear student leadership roles and guidance from community and higher education partners, including First-Generation Scholars and advisors from UC San Diego, the project focuses on mentor recruitment, program planning, and sustained relationship-building. Through regular mentor–mentee sessions and ongoing feedback, the team is strengthening the program over time, reflecting care, persistence, and a commitment to building meaningful pathways to college success.

As a student leader, Liya is most proud of “how our team worked collaboratively to engage our school’s first-generation community and the project around what students actually want and need. Through information gathered from a student-led survey, my teammates brought intention, empathy, and leadership to every step, ensuring this project is truly built by and for students.”