The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has awarded Cal State San Bernardino with a $25,000 grant for its Pathways to Logistics program, which prepares high school students in San Bernardino and Riverside counties for careers in managerial and professional positions in the logistics industry.

“We are honored to have the support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians,” said Kimberly Collins, executive director of CSUSB’s William and Barbara Leonard Transportation Center (LTC), which oversees the program. “Through their generosity, we will be able to hire CSUSB student ambassadors and a program manager to move forward on the Pathway to Logistics program goals. These goals were set by a group of community members to make a difference in young people’s lives and impact the future development of the Inland Empire. We truly look forward to working closely with representatives of San Manuel over the next year on the Pathway and thank them for their trust and support.”

The key goal of the Pathways to Logistics program, which is in collaboration between the university’s LTC and the information decision sciences department, is to move people out of poverty. As the level of education a person obtains directly relates to their annual salary, getting high school students to engage with a college curriculum in the Pathway can lead to success. The initiative has already developed an educational pathway between Cajon High School, Chaffey College and CSUSB.

The grant will be used to partially support the hiring of a program manager and student ambassadors for one year to increase the reach of the initiative and the number of participating schools and students. The program manager will work to bring the Pathway to additional high schools and colleges. This will include student/parent/community outreach and engagement; curriculum and articulation development; industry engagement and site visits; job placement programs working with the career centers in community colleges and at CSUSB; and implementing the ambassador’s program.

The Pathway ambassadors will mentor and tutor high school students for greater success in dual-enrollment courses offered at the high schools; give special lectures and support the CTE teachers in the high school classrooms; engage and answer questions of parents and students at community outreach events; connect with industry representatives at regional events and at CSUSB hiring fairs/sponsored activities; and work with high school and community college counselors to create additional synergies between the educational partners.

The program is focusing its work on young people who are part of disenfranchised communities, providing them with the assistance needed to be successful in managerial and professional careers in the logistics industry.

To learn more about CSUSB’s Pathways to Logistics Program, visit its website.

For more information about the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, visit the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians website.