confidence

affirmation

love

future
network

support
soaring

scholarship

overcoming

aspiration

guidance
friendship

mentorship
uplift
hope

family

empowerment
promise

belief

passion

team
resources
success

potential

The Phoenix Scholars

Annual Report 2016

Table of Contents

Leadership
A Message from the Directors
Mission & History
Our Community
Administrative Structure (P.O.D.)
Our Resources
2015-2016 Insights
2016-2017 Cycle
Financials
Contact Us

2-3
4
5
6
7
8
9-10
11
12-13
14

Leadership
Michael Tubbs
Founder, Executive Director (2010-2012)
Board of Directors Member
Councilmember,
City of Stockton District 6
DShai Hendricks
Executive Director (2012-2014)
Board of Directors Member
Operations and Technology Risk
Management Analyst,
Citi
Jonathan Spratley
Executive Director (2014-2015)
Board of Directors Member
John Gardner Fellow,
Harlem Childrens Zone

Oriekose Idah
Director of Development (2013-2015)
Board of Directors Member
Associate Project Marketing Manager,
Google

Leadership
Andrew Edoimioya
Co-Executive Director
B.S. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering,
Stanford University, 2017

Taryn Harvey
Co-Executive Director
B.S. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering,
Stanford University, 2017

Devon Cash
Chief Financial Officer
B.A. Candidate in Economics,
Stanford University, 2018

Mia Hoover
Secretary
B.A. Candidate in English,
Stanford University, 2018

A Message from the Directors

Dear team and family,

We are incredibly fortunate to be
The Phoenix Scholars Co-Executive
Directors. We have had the
opportunity to watch the
organization grow since we joined
as fellows in 2013 and are looking
forward to more years of continued
progress. Our mission is to reach
low-income, minority high school
students in California and assist
them as they navigate the road to
college. Our mission has been
supported by the 450 plus
undergraduate mentors we have
worked with to date at Stanford
University and University of
California, Berkeley. Our mentors
have sacrificed their time and effort
to be a resource for our scholars
throughout the college application
process.

branches at college campuses in

Southern California. Additionally,
we will help alleviate some of the
financial barriers that low-income
students encounter when applying
to colleges and universities by
offering scholarships to our most
deserving students.
In all, we are excited about the
triumphs and challenges that lie
before us and are grateful to be in a
position to support our students.
We welcome you to come along on
this journey with us!
Together we can soar,
Andrew & Taryn

We take immense pride in this

community we have helped foster
and plan to continue to serve the
public in our roles as actors in the
fight for educational equity. This
fight requires TPS to broaden its
services and scope. In the coming
years we will expand our
geographic impact by planting TPS

Mission & History

Mission
The Phoenix Scholars aims to help low-income, first-generation, and minority high
students access higher education by providing pro bono college counseling and
mentorship.

History
Michael Tubbs started The Phoenix Scholars
with the understanding that his success in the
college admissions process was due in large
part to the free application consulting he
received in high school. For Michael, a rstgeneration college student from Stockton
born to a 17-year-old mother and an
incarcerated father, the prospect of
attending college seemed all too bleak.
However, he was fortunate enough to meet
Carolyn Lawrence, a private college
admissions consultant, who guided him
through the admissions process and
eventually to Stanford University.
Motivated by his experience, Michael started
The Phoenix Scholars (TPS) while at Stanford
in 2009 to provide pro bono college
counseling to low-income, rst-generation,
and minority students. Since that time, TPS
has matured and grown to better meet the
needs of those we serve. TPS is unique in that
our counseling initiatives are peer oriented.
TPS is an organization run by students for
students. Based out of Stanford University,
we pair Stanford and Berkeley
undergraduates (mentors) with rising high
school seniors (scholars) in underserved
communities in San Mateo, San Francisco,
Alameda, and Los Angeles counties. Our

mentors share similar backgrounds to the

scholars and work with them to build college
lists, write and edit college essays, navigate
the nancial aid process, and nourish
meaningful relationships over the course of a
year.
Now in our seventh year, TPS has established
a proven track record of success. We sent
54% of this years reporting scholars to top 50
universities, including Brown University, Yale
University, University of California, Berkeley,
and Johns Hopkins University. This years
cohort also received over $800,000 in college
scholarships, including the highly coveted
QuestBridge and Gates Millennium
scholarships.
Above all, however, our hope is to provide our
scholars with the leverage and resources
necessary to make their dreams a realityto
attend college, explore the world around
them, and lead a signicant life.

Michael Tubbs, Founder & Exec. Dir. '10-'12, speaking at TEDxStanford (L),
2013; Stanford University commencement (R), 2012.

Our Community
Scholars

Mentors

Our scholars (mentees) typically fall into two of

the three following categories:
Low-income: qualities for free or reduced
lunch
First-generation: lives in a household where
no legal guardian has graduated from a fouryear college or university
Minority: is part of an ethnic community
historically underrepresented in higher
education (i.e., African American,
Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Pacific
Islander)
We recruit scholars through school visits during
their junior year of high school. Potential scholars
are expected to: have at least a 2.7 GPA, fully
participate in program oerings, and exhibit a
desire to be part of the TPS community.

Core Members

Fellows

Core members are the senior administrators of

the organization and serve in varying capacities
across all TPS committees. Nearly all core
members have passed through our 10-month
fellowship program. Additionally, many core
members have been mentors, scholars, or both
a testament to the connectedness of the
organization. Like mentors, core members are
recruited at the undergraduate level and
dedicate their time, energy, and eorts pro bono.

D'Shai Hendricks, Exec.

Dir. '12-'14, accepts a
$25,000 grant from
State Farm. 2012.

Our undergraduate mentors have historically

been recruited from Stanford University and
University of California, Berkeley. Mentors work
with scholars beginning in the summer after their
junior year of high school, assisting them in
completing a wide variety of tasks required for
the college admissions process. In addition to
being counselors, mentors are expected to
become their scholars friends and condants.
Mentors are typically assigned one to two
scholars in an academic year.

Devon Cash, CFO, receives

Lunsford Award from
Stanford University for his
research on digital
mentorship. 2016.

Fellows are rst-year administrators. Typically

recruited as freshmen, fellows spend 10 months
working on a variety of projects to help them
better understand the values and goals of TPS as
well as to learn the basics of nonprot
management. At the end of the fellowship, highperforming fellows will be asked to rejoin the
organization as core members.

Core members & fellows at

our Meet & Greet, an annual
event where scholars and
their mentors are formally
introduced to one another.
2015.

Fellow Zac Espinosa and

Exec. Dir. Taryn Harvey at
this year's Meet & Greet.
2016.

Administrative Structure (P.O.D.)

Programming

Our Programming Committee works to

create an intensive and transformational
experience for our scholars and mentors.
Programming develops the yearly curriculum
outlined in the Scholar Calendar, trains
mentors, hosts in-person events, and
manages our cohort system.

Outreach

Active recruiting is essential to TPS continued

growth. Outreach identies high schools that
serve our target demographic. After initial
vetting, Outreach will establish relationships
with the schools counselors and eventually
make pitch presentations at these select high
schools.

Development

As TPS continues to evolve, so must its

administrative capacity. In addition to
fundraising, Business Development has a
hand in virtually all support functions for the
organization, including communications,
compliance, quality control, and data
collection.

Our Resources

Cohorts

Scholar Packet

A buddy system in which ve

scholar-mentor pairs are
assigned to one core member,
who will monitor the
relationship between each
pair, ensuring assignment
completion and healthy
communication

An annual publication
produced by Programming,
which outlines expectations
of scholars and serves as an
informational booklet,
covering everything from
building a college list to
applying to QuestBridge

Scholar Calendar

Scholarships

Lists internal tasks assigned by

TPS as well as general deadlines
concerning college, nancial aid,
and scholarship applications.
Each month has its own theme,
starting with Getting to Know
Your Mentor in June to College
Readiness in May of the
following year

Academic Success Award: TPS has

partnered with Magoosh to provide
up to 10 scholars with online SAT
prep
Collegiate Award: provides scholars
with one college application wavier
Excellence Award: provides
scholars with $150 to cover the
"hidden" costs of college

Scholar Alumni Board

Core Alumni Program

Seeks to connect current

scholars with scholar alumni
who have matriculated at
various four-year institutions.
Scholar alumni will provide
ongoing, informal mentorship
and insights relating to the
college transition

Aims to leverage the

professional connections and
skill sets of core members who
have recently graduated. Core
alumni will lead career
readiness panels in addition to
providing general support for
TPS

2015-2016 Insights
16 Core & Fellows

92 Mentors

161 Scholars
29.2 %

40.2 %

43.8 %
56.3 %

59.8 %
70.8 %

Male

Female

Male

100
37
15

Bl

Male

50

95

Female

25
2

37

13

29.6 %

12

Bl

ac

50.0 %

1.9 %

11.7 %

7
5

15

Hi As Na W M O
th
u
s
h
i
k/ pan an/ tive ite/ ltira er
Af ic Pa A
c
C
ric /L ci me au ial
an ati fic
ric ca
-A no Isl an sia
an
m
n
er
de
ica
r
n

50.0 %

14.8 %

11
1

H A N W M O
ac isp sia ati hi ul th
k/ an n/ ve te/ tira er
Af ic Pa A
C c
ric /L ci me au ial
an ati fic ric ca
-A no Isl an sia
an
m
n
er
de
ica
r
n

31.5 %

10

Female

Bl

ac

2
0

Hi As Na W M O
th
u
s
h
i
k/ pan an/ tive ite/ ltira er
Af ic Pa A
c
C
ric /L ci me au ial
c
an ati fic
r
-A no Isl ican asia
an
m
n
er
de
ica
r
n

18.8 %
25.0 %

12.5 %
18.8 %

12.5 %

12.5 %

10.5 %

$0 - $15K
$30K - $60K
$100K+

$15K - $30K
$60K - $100K
Undetermined

**

Low-income

Not low-income

$0 - $15K
$30K - $60K
$100K+

$15K - $30K
$60K - $100K
Undetermined

*Household income
**Low-income refers to those whose household income would qualify them for free/reduced lunch

2015-2016 Insights
Matriculation

Brown University

CSU, San Jose

San Jose State

University

UC, Riverside

Wesleyan
University

Caada College

Dominican University of
California

UC, Berkeley

UC, San Diego

Whittier College

Chabot College

CSU, Dominguez
Hills

CSU, Eastbay

CSU, Fullerton

Holy Names
University

Johns Hopkins
University

Pomona College

San Francisco
State University

UC, Davis

UC, Irvine

UC, Los Angeles

UC, Merced

University of San
Francisco

University of Southern
California

UC, Santa Barbara

UC, Santa Cruz

Yale University
*1 in 3 scholars reporting

10

2016-2017 Cycle
December 2016

June 2016

Theme

Theme

Submitting Applications
(continued)

Getting to Know Your Mentor

January 2017
Deadlines
Theme
TPS Academic Success
Award applications

FAFSA & Financial Aid

July 2016
Theme
Brainstorming Colleges

Deadlines
Common Application for
most schools
TPS Excellence Award
applications

August 2016
February 2017

Theme
Brainstorming Personal Statements

Theme

September 2016

Scholarships

Theme

FAFSA & CSS prole

application for most schools

Deadlines

Drafting Personal Statements

2017-2018 Mentor
applications

Deadlines
QuestBridge application
TPS Collegiate Award
applications

March 2017
Theme
Scholarships (continued)

October 2016

Deadlines
FAFSA applications

Theme
Drafting & Revising Personal
Statements

April 2017
Theme
Making a College Decision

Deadline

Deadlines

2016-2017 Fellows applications

November 2016

May 2017

2017-2018 Scholar
applications

Theme

Theme

College Readiness

Submitting Applications

Deadlines
Early action applications
University of California &
California State University
applications

Dates
Deadline to enroll at a
university
Meet & Greet
Board of Directors meeting
TPS retreat for core
members & fellows

11

Financials
The Phoenix Scholars
Statement of Financial Position
As of June 30, 2016
Assets
Current Assets
Checking Account
PayPal Account
Total Current Assets
Total Assets

$5,697.84
1,220.45
6,918.29
6,918.29

Liabilities & Equity

Total Liability
Equity
Opening Balance Equity
Retained Earnings
Net Revenue
Total Equity
Total Liabilities & Equity

278.72
7,450.15
-810.58
6,918.29
$6,918.29

12

Financials
The Phoenix Scholars
Statement of Activity
As of June 30, 2016
Revenue
Donations
Total Revenue
Gross Pro t

$1,520.45
1,520.45
1,520.45

Expenditures
Administrative Expenses
Accounting
Advertising & Promotional
Conferences & Business Development
Entertainment Meals & Events
Insurance
Legal & Professional
O ice & Administrative Supplies
Postage & Shipping
Travel for Professional Development
Web Hosting
Total Administrative Expenses
Programming Expenses
Scholarships
Promotional Meals & Events
Travel for High School Visits
Total Programming Expenses
Total Expenditures

290.00
65.01
338.18
693.19
2,370.58

Net Revenue

-$810.58

588.00
29.95
119.95
90.62
281.77
239.47
14.36
178.48
41.33
53.91
1,637.84

13

Contact Us

Mailing Address

Email & Phone

265 Cambridge Avenue

PO Box 60476
Palo Alto, California 94306

info@phoenixscholars.org

Social Media

Status

Facebook:
The Phoenix Scholars

The Phoenix Scholars is a

registered 501(c)(3) nonprot
organization (FEIN 61-1702964).

650.701.7877

Twitter:
@phoenixscholars

The Phoenix Scholars is a

member of the Nonprot
Insurance Alliance of California.

Instagram:
@the_phoenix_scholars

How You Can Help

1. Follow us on social media!
2. Donate! Funds will be
directed towards TPS
scholarships as well as
operations.
3. Share our story with others!

14