UCLA
The Bruin Guardian Scholars Program has helped UCLA narrow the educational gap for current and former foster youth; it now serves more than 200 students. Ariel Okamoto |
May 24, 2021
UCLA has received a gift of $1 million from Jill and Timothy Harmon to create an endowment for the Bruin Guardian Scholars Program. The Harmons are former foster parents and longtime advocates for young people in the foster care system.
Bruin Guardian Scholars provides financial assistance, mentoring, and social and other support for UCLA students who are or were in foster care.
The endowment will provide funding that will support the program in perpetuity, starting with a salary for a full-time social worker. Through previous gifts beginning in 2017, the Harmons provided some of the initial funding for the social worker position, ensuring that students in the program had someone to turn to for college and career advice, tips on accessing financial and community resources, and a li