Background Information: Beverly Tate founded TCS, College Connected in June 2015, so that she could promote academic success and literacy amongst young people living in under-served and under-resourced communities. Tate worked 30+ years as an educator, where she taught English composition and literature at the secondary and community college levels. While working at Pasadena City College, she also worked with several nonprofit agencies who serve under-represented teens residing in Altadena, Los Angeles, and Pasadena.

TCS-Stay College Connected Major Initiatives:

Stay College Connected: TCS’s first initiative is “Stay College Connected,” which encourages community college students to stay in school. TCS conducts workshops, which provides students with concrete specific strategies on how to improve their academic success. Since 2015, Stay College Connected workshops have been organized for students attending East Los Angeles College, Orange Coast College, and California State University, Los Angeles

Black and Latino Men Read: TCS’s second initiative is its Black and Latino Men Read (BLMR) program. TCS is collaborating with Luis and Trini Rodriguez, who are co-founders of the nonprofit, Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore. Both organizations co-sponsor a reading/essay contest, in February & October, for African American and Latino young men attending high school and college. Since 2015, the BLMR contest has awarded a total of $15,000 to its participants and winners.