Mission Scholars is seeing its founding vision come to life. Six years after launching its college prep program, alumni are returning to Santa Barbara not only to build promising professional careers but to give back as mentors and leaders to the organization that set them on their journey.
“We are seeing the realization of this early vision with a small group of our college graduates who are returning to mentor and inspire our younger scholars, and it has been one of the most rewarding parts of our work,” Mission Scholars Executive Director Cassie Lancaster. “These scholars love this community, and for them, the ultimate goal is to return, afford to live here, thrive as community members, and give back as mentors and leaders. They are the students our community was right to invest in, and this is the return.”
One of the first to embody that vision is Kathy Ramirez, a Gates Scholar from the inaugural Mission Scholars class. After earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering at the University of Southern California, she returned home to work for the City of Santa Barbara. Today, she helps design safer sidewalks, bike lanes and road improvements — the very ones her family uses every day.
“The city has given my family and me so much,” she said. “Now, the work I’m doing is directly benefiting them and the community I love.”
Ramirez also gives back as a Mission Scholars college coach, mentoring a student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
“I see myself in my mentee, and I know what a big deal it was for me to have a mentor who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” she recalled. “It’s incredibly rewarding if I can be that person for someone else.
“I owe Mission Scholars my life. They have helped me so much. You just don’t know what you’re missing in the college process if you and your parents have never gone through it before. Where else would I have gotten this knowledge, assistance and incredible network? I am still benefiting from Mission Scholars and believe so strongly in their mission that I will always support them.”
Christian Reyes, another member of Mission Scholars’ first cohort, has returned part time to Santa Barbara while building a career in the Bay Area. A 2024 graduate of UC Berkeley, he now works with two tech startups — one developing non-invasive therapy for Alzheimer’s patients, and the other creating technology to seamlessly connect bluetooth speakers.
Despite the demands of his career, he carves out time for Mission Scholars, serving as a college coach, sitting on panels and speaking at workshops. He credits the program with pushing him to apply to Berkeley in the first place.
“Mission Scholars provided me with the stepping stones to go to college and put me into a space where Berkeley became a reality,” Reyes said. “I could not have achieved all of this without their help.”
Reyes now coaches a student through the same transition he faced.
“I tell my mentee and my own younger siblings that nothing is out of reach. It’s not a matter of if you can accomplish something — it’s a matter of when,” he said. “The desire to achieve is enough to get you started.”
Kristine Carillo, a recent graduate of Brown University, has brought the Mission Scholars story full circle in yet another way. After interning with the organization during college and studying education policy, she returned to Santa Barbara to join the Mission Scholars staff full time — becoming the first alum to do so. Now a program coordinator, she works across access, affordability and success programs, guiding students through the same workshops and one-on-one mentoring she once received.
“Mission Scholars forever changed my personal, academic and professional trajectory,” she said. “They opened my eyes to opportunities I didn’t even know existed, and I wanted to come back to do the same for others.”
In addition to her staff role, Carillo serves as a college coach, helping students see that their backgrounds are not limitations but strengths.
“I want them to know that they already have everything it takes to succeed,” Carillo said.
“I didn’t think I’d have any value to add to this community until I was much older and had some money. The fact that I am fresh out of college and can genuinely help people is amazing,” said Ramirez. “Mission Scholars helped me, allowing me to help my siblings, friends and mentees, creating an impact that goes well beyond what the numbers show.”
What the numbers show is that 100% of the high school class of 2025 enrolled in four-year universities this fall, with 91% of their combined total cost of attendance covered by scholarships and grants. In addition, 60% of alumni are still engaged with Mission Scholars, returning as mentors, workshop speakers and participants in community events.
What the stories show is even more powerful: Mission Scholars is building not just college graduates, but a new generation of community leaders who are returning to Santa Barbara to shape its future.
