By Susan L. Wampler
In small towns and rural communities across the country, even the brightest students often face a chasm between their ambitions and the opportunities available to pursue them. Although such students graduate high school at similar rates to their big-city peers, they are only half as likely to earn a degree from a top-tier college.
But USC Bovard Scholars and the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network are improving those statistics.
Launched in 2017, USC Bovard Scholars supports up to 100 exceptional high school students annually in overcoming financial and other barriers on their paths to top universities. This year, the program joined forces with STARS — a national initiative launched by Trott Family Philanthropies in 2023 — to expand access for students from often-overlooked communities. USC is one of four West Coast members of STARS, whose network includes Ivy League schools and top public universities across the country.
“We’re excited to have the support of an organization that brings extensive resources to our shared commitment of connecting with — and providing opportunities to — these students,” said Lisa Mataczynski, USC Bovard Scholars program director.
The STARS partnership bolsters the program’s longstanding commitment to offering essential college-prep resources at no cost, including housing, transportation, meals, test preparation, college advising, career exploration, worksite visits, leadership development and even mock interviews.
“We cover everything,” Mataczynski said, “anticipating their needs so they can focus on the work we’re doing together.”
Engineering Futures
For Manuel Clemente-Vazquez, who journeyed to the program from Nogales, Arizona, USC Bovard Scholars opened a world of possibilities. Born and raised in a border town with limited academic resources, he enrolled in Arizona State University’s ASU Prep Digital to gain a better education. But even in that noteworthy program, access to one-on-one college guidance was sparse.
“I don’t really have any college resources to guide me through the process,” Clemente-Vazquez said. “About a year ago, I didn’t even know about AP courses.”
Through USC Bovard Scholars, he found more than just information — he found community, mentorship and momentum: “Talking to my counselor has been really helpful,” he added. “And making friends from all over the country, with students who have these amazing test scores and extracurriculars, has been pretty cool.”
Even with the advantages of a college-prep education, Clemente-Vazquez was mostly alone in navigating the college admissions process before becoming a USC Bovard Scholar. Now he’s crafting a targeted application strategy with real support behind him. His worksite visit to Boeing ignited excitement about engineering pathways, and the program’s continued coaching into senior year means the impact will continue long after this visit to Los Angeles ends.
“Even when I go back to Nogales, I’ll still have these resources,” said Clemente-Vazquez, who aspires to attend either Caltech or MIT.
Passion for Public Service
Born in London, raised in Beijing and now living in Waimea, Hawaii — a ranching town of just 10,000 — Oscar Amos brings a global perspective to local advocacy. At Parker School, a small institution with 150 high school students, Amos found his voice through debate and social justice work. He now leads his school’s Amnesty International chapter and has interned with the Hawaii County Council. His long-term goals include law school and possibly public office.
“What really excited me about Bovard Scholars was the focus on underrepresented backgrounds and how many resources they put forth,” Amos said. “Once I found the application, I just dove in.”
Amos especially valued the intellectual and cultural exchanges with his peers. “Even within my small group, people are from such different places and want to go in so many varied directions,” he says. “That’s really opened my mind to different paths forward.”
His worksite visit to Latham & Watkins, a leading law firm, strengthened his motivation, and he credits the essay coaching and test prep with sharpening his applications. The program also helped Amos revise his list of target schools, giving him resources that “most low-income students just don’t have access to.”
“It’s important for me as a low-income student to know before I even apply whether a school is a realistic option,” Amos noted. “I don’t want to pay more for my education than my family makes in a year or graduate drowning in debt.”
USC Bovard Scholars introduced him to tools like the net price calculator and offered both one-on-one and small-group sessions on financial aid, scholarships and navigating the cost of college. By providing additional pathways to a variety of universities, more opportunities open up for Amos and other Scholars alike.
“Our students graduate from college at rates well above the national average,” Mataczynski observed. “They’re not only getting into great schools, but they’re also graduating on time, with little or no debt, and many go on to graduate or professional programs.”
First-Gen and Future Physician
In Mount Pleasant, Texas, where college guidance and advanced coursework are limited, Jennifer Luna stood out academically — but also felt alone in her ambitions. As a USC Bovard Scholar, the first-generation student found not just direction but also the guidance to pursue her path.
She plans to become a pediatric oncologist, a goal shaped by health care inequities and personal loss.
“My grandma passed away from an undetected brain tumor,” Luna said. “Coming from a lower-income background, my family has never really had good access to health care. That’s what inspired me to go into medicine.”
The USC Bovard Scholars program has given her new confidence in her college journey.
“At my school, we have one counselor for everything, and she has to manage so many students that it’s hard to get one-on-one attention,” Luna explained. “Here, I’ve had personal sessions with an admissions coach, and I came in with a lot of questions! Now I feel so much more confident.”
Given her goals, she found her worksite visit to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles deeply meaningful. She plans to major in microbiology for her pre-med degree, with USC being her “dream school.”
“Being on campus has really solidified that. I love the beach, the city, the environment — it’s the kind of place where I want to be,” she said.
Lighting the Way
The impact of STARS and USC Bovard Scholars extends beyond brightening the futures of participating students. By exemplifying what’s possible, those like Luna, Amos and Clemente-Vazquez become role models in their schools and communities.
“I’m the oldest of four, and I want to pass this knowledge on to my siblings so they won’t have to struggle like I did,” Luna said.
Through initiatives such as USC Bovard Scholars, the university works to create more choices, access and opportunity for hard-working students who have talent and drive but lack resources. And it’s paying off: Roughly 40 percent of alumni pursue advanced degrees after college. Others enter the workforce in meaningful roles as soon as they earn their bachelor’s degrees.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see where they go,” Mataczynski said.