Hello! Thank you for your interest in KORE! We are so excited to work with you this year! Before you let us know about yourself, here's some more information about our program:

Khmer Outreach, Retention, and Education (KORE) was established in 2003 with the goal of reducing the disparities in the representation of Cambodian students in higher education. Today, KORE serves ALL underrepresented high school students in the Long Beach community (so please don't worry if you aren't Cambodian!). Within our program, high school students are paired with college students from UCLA through a year-long mentorship program and have the opportunity to receive guidance and first-hand insight from college students who have gone through the same high school struggles. In addition to helping students towards academic achievement, KORE emphasizes the development of leadership skills, personal growth, skill building, and cultural awareness. Mentee and mentor pairings are based on similar interests and goals in order to create a fun, meaningful, and worthwhile year!

Why join KORE?

As a KORE mentor, you will get the chance to act as a role model and person of support for your mentee throughout the year. Mentors have the job of providing academic assistance, personal advice, and overall be someone for their mentee to talk to in times of need. As you already have the experience of going through the struggles of high school and applying for college, you'll get the chance to help high schoolers become much more confident about their personal and academic lives, which will ease their transition from high school to higher education. 

You might be thinking, "Wow! That sounds like it'll be fun and fulfilling! So...what are the requirements to join?"

Although you do not need any prior experience working with youth, mentors are expected to put forth effort and commitment in order to ensure a stable and successful relationship with their mentees. Maintaining a relationship with mentees will take up a little extra time, but keep in mind that KORE's devoted staff members are here to guide you and always be available if you need assistance and advice in order to build a successful relationship with your mentee. We understand that the school year may get busy, so we try our best to accommodate to students' schedules! Aside from keeping yearlong contact throughout the year with your mentee, the KORE program will include the following events:

• KORE meetings for mentor training and event planning time
• "On-Sites" at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library in Long Beach or over Zoom where we will present workshops, provide any assistance with the students' school responsibilities, and create a space for activities that will foster personal and academic development
• College Insight Day and College Tour where mentees are brought to UCLA for workshops on navigating higher education, a campus tour, and a free lunch in the UCLA dining hall(only for CID!)
• Fun cultural, humanities, and/or science-based field trips
• ...and more! Most KORE events will take place on Saturdays, so they do not conflict with your class times. If you're concerned with dealing with LA traffic or buying food, KORE can provide you free transportation and lunch at our off-campus events!