Letter to the University

March 30, 2021

We ask that UC Berkeley show its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biological sciences by securing funding for the Biology Scholars Program.

We request that the UC Berkeley administration commits to maintaining the current designated physical space and funding of $1M/year for BSP (not including BSP Director's salary).

Help BSP to secure $18M funds within the next 5 years to help establish an endowment to secure its continued role at UC Berkeley.

Who we are

We, the undersigned alumni of the Biology Scholars Program (BSP) at UC Berkeley, write this letter to express loyalty and support for BSP. We are concerned that BSP is at risk of shutting down without university support. Few programs at the university contribute to diversity in science and health care to the extent BSP does. We can say with certainty that without BSP support many of us would not have achieved the personal, academic, and professional goals we are so proud of today.

The Biology Scholars Program has been essential to the success of over 3,500 students interested in STEM careers over the past 30 years. BSP is first and foremost a program for academic excellence, yet BSP does not skim from the top performing students to ensure success. BSP builds on the potential and grit that students must already possess to be accepted to Berkeley and provides an equalizing opportunity through mentoring, tutoring, and community building. BSP students, in general, enter Berkeley with lower GPAs and test scores in comparison to other biology students at Berkeley. However, we graduate with GPAs, and at rates, on par with majority-students not in BSP, and at rates higher than underrepresented minority (URM) students who are not in BSP ("Outsiders at the Table" – Diversity Lessons from the Biology Scholars Program at the University of California, Berkeley).

The majority of BSP students and alumni are the first generation to college (with several having parents who never completed high school) and come from communities underrepresented in science and healthcare. The success of BSP students is tangible and has a positive impact on healthcare and science professions https://bsp.berkeley.edu/bsp-stories-news. A large proportion of BSP graduates have earned graduate and professional degrees (85% of alumni surveyed, N=1875) and in the last 5 years over 200 graduates have entered graduate programs at top tier educational institutions.

The idea that BSP could run out of funding is devastating, and it is our hope for the program to become financially secure for future generations of Berkeley students.

BSP made a difference in our lives

Many of us came to UC Berkeley with the motivation to make a difference in the world, but found Berkeley to be a very different environment from what we were used to. The Biology Scholars Program provided a place and community where our diverse experiences, immigration statuses, backgrounds and cultures were valued and not judged.

For many of us, BSP became a safety-net and a place where we could turn for support as we faced challenges not uncommon among BSP students: food insecurity, community violence, health issues, deportation, homelessness, among many others. Our advisors and mentors would validate “health and family first” strategies and help us come up with an academic plan in which we could balance family and financial responsibilities with our educational commitments and, against many odds, excel in our studies, graduate from UC Berkeley, and complete graduate degrees. BSP support did not end at graduation — BSP has become a lifelong network of alumni, mentors and students, one that we continue to rely on throughout our careers.

Our backgrounds and experiences are often the driving force that propel our work and careers-- and this is reflected in the career paths of BSP alumni. BSP members become alumni who dedicate themselves to supporting communities in need, addressing health and education disparities, and who support the next generation of BSP students. Indeed, BSP alumni currently working in health care are 4-5 times more likely to practice in underserved communities than those who grew up elsewhere. BSP alumni represent a diverse range of professionals including: medicine and health care, law, research, and engineering. BSP alumni teach students at every grade level, including as university professors. Additionally, BSP is indispensable for achieving the laudable goal to make UC Berkeley a Hispanic serving institution by 2027.

While much work remains to be done, we recognize the commitments and strides the university has made in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion and BSP embodies the UC values of diversity and excellence.

Sincerely,

The UC Berkeley Biology Scholars Program Alumni

Banner image: BSP alumni at the Drew/UCLA White Coat Ceremony. Left to Right in the photo: Adia Scrubb (MS2-Drew/Prime), Noel Carillo (MS1-Prime), Michelle Lough (MS1-Prime), Hoover Wu (MS1-Drew), David Hampton (MS1-Drew), Kaitlin Hall (MS1-Drew), Jade Sanders (MS1-Drew/Prime), Robert Noble (He is currently in the process of applying), Minerva Pineda (MS2-Drew/Prime). 2013.