2022 Scholar Celebration

The Richmond Promise invites the public to attend the organization’s 7th Annual Scholar Celebration, set to take place on Saturday, July 30, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Richmond Civic Center Plaza. Registration for the event is free.

Since launching in 2016, the Richmond Promise – a postsecondary access and success organization – has supported over 3,000 Richmond young people on their journeys to and through higher education. The Richmond Promise currently serves more than 1,900 scholars who are pursuing associate and bachelor degrees, and career technical education certifications at 220 colleges and universities across the United States. A vast majority of Richmond Promise scholars identify as people of color, first-generation college students, and students from low-income backgrounds.

Dating back to the inaugural year of the organization, the Scholar Celebration has served as the Richmond Promise’s largest event and a tradition that welcomes the newest cohort of Richmond youth to a community of local degree and certificate seekers who are supported through a multi-year scholarship and wraparound services. This year’s Scholar Celebration will honor 419 new Richmond Promise scholarship recipients who will begin their higher education journeys this fall semester.

For the in-person return of the Scholar Celebration since being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, the Richmond Promise will energize our new scholars by transforming Richmond Civic Center Plaza into a thriving college quad. The outdoor event will feature booths hosted by local colleges and universities, including U.C. Berkeley, Contra Costa College, Berkeley City College, Diablo Valley College, San Francisco State University, and more. The Richmond Promise’s quad experience will also include games and activities, performances, Curbside Kitchen food truck, community resources, and a traditional ceremony recognizing members of the organization’s 7th scholar cohort.

The 7th Annual Scholar Celebration is proudly sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Leftside Printing, City National Bank, Levin-Richmond Terminal Corp., Sims Metal, and additional community partners.