A California higher education initiative is utilizing financial grants and structured mentorship to assist first-generation students in navigating the path toward advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The program, known as Cal-Bridge, operates through four distinct tracks: undergraduate, summer research, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels. Its primary objective is to increase representation among faculty and researchers in these fields.
San Ramon is about 10 miles northwest of Pleasanton.
Willingham, a 31-year-old doctoral candidate at UC Irvine, serves as an example of the program’s impact. As a first-generation scholar, he noted that no one in his family or social circle had previously earned a doctorate. He originally grew up in Littleton, Colorado, and attended Columbine High School. Following his father’s service in the Air Force, the family relocated to Atlanta. Willingham moved to California in 2017 to begin his college studies and is now balancing his academic work with raising two children.
His research currently examines the development of new quantum materials and their potential applications in future electronic sensors. Willingham attended El Camino College and Compton College concurrently to complete his associate degree. He subsequently joined the Cal-Bridge undergraduate track after transferring to Cal Poly Pomona. The program provided him with $10,000 annually during his junior and senior years. He used these funds to purchase a vehicle for commuting from Los Angeles and to reduce his hours working as a tutor, allowing him to concentrate more on his coursework.
Later, Willingham received $40,000 in support during his first year of graduate school at UC Irvine. He allocated $16,000 toward tuition and used the remaining funds for living costs. The Cal-Bridge undergraduate track accepts approximately 60 students annually from California State University campuses and community colleges, receiving up to 100 applications each year.
Dr. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly, an assistant professor of astrophysics at Cal State San Bernardino, directs the program’s mentorship efforts. She is a Cal-Bridge alumna who spent 13 years to reach her current faculty position. Her research focuses on near-field cosmology, specifically studying nearby galaxies that may represent some of the earliest formations in the universe.
