The SOARing for Education Affiliation Board of Directors provides essential support in enhancing SOAR's mission and values of improving educational equity for historically underrepresented and marginalized students through our outreach and retention efforts. As part of the Board of Directors, these student representatives serve a central role in overseeing affiliate grant allocations and in making informed decisions regarding SOAR's core services and resources. 

In transitioning from our Funding Board to our new Board of Directors, SOAR aims to continue its mission to further our affiliates' outreach and retention programs which foster critical dialogue, provide mentorship and reimagine the educational system to improve college access, increase retention, and improve graduation rates for historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities in higher education.

Being a Director provides the opportunity to work with our coalition of affiliates and network of student leaders, increasing success and access to higher education. 

**Please Note: Your application will only be reviewed once your student organization has completed the SOARing for Education Affiliation Application for the 2025-2026 academic year.**

To apply, our qualifications are: 

• Must represent a student organization affiliated with SOAR for at least 2 years (not necessarily consecutive)
• Only one member per organization may join the board, although multiple applications per organization are permitted
• Experience with finances, managing funds, and budgeting (preferred, not required)
• Maintain good academic standing (2.5 GPA or higher)
• Empathy and Intercultural awareness
• Demonstrated commitment to registered campus organizations
• Organizational and management skills

Key Benefits & Compensation:

• $250 stipend in Fall + $200 stipend for Winter & Spring ($650 over the academic year).
• Automatic re-affiliation in the SOARing for Education Affiliation Program - pending submission re-approval.
• Gain priority in OSIP and RSIP grant reviews for your organization.
• Build invaluable public speaking and leadership skills.
• Help shape the SOAR Center’s mission and initiatives.

To view the full Position Description, click here: Board of Directors - Position Description 2025-2026 (must use UCI Email to access). 

If you have any questions please visit our website or email us at soaring@uci.edu.

The Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR) Center advocates for and supports marginalized, underserved student communities. Our Center aims to create substantial change and stand with students facing continuous systemic inequities and/or anti-Blackness within the larger UC Irvine community.

SOAR will allocate funding to students in need. Students may apply for a maximum of $500. Students can apply for this scholarship during their time at UCI. Funds will be allocated on a case-by-case basis with review by the SOAR scholarship funding committee.

Preference for covering housing application fees, book and technology fees, and any other educational costs will be given higher priority. Undergraduate students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Students must thoroughly complete the application for consideration.

Please thoroughly read the eligibility requirements.

Applications for Fall 2025 are due on November 9th, 2025. Please thoroughly read the eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Be an enrolled student as an undergraduate at UCI during the quarter you are applying for the scholarship.
• Minimum 2.0 GPA.
• Committed, engaged, or involved in community service addressing issues of systemic inequities and/or including anti-Blackness, racism, or educational inequities within the UC Irvine community.
• Be either a Umoja Pilot Program scholar, an active member involved with the SOAR Center, and/or the Center for Black Cultures, Resources, and Research. 
• Preference for students who demonstrate need, such as Expected Family Contribution (EFC), does not meet the Cost of Attendance (CoA), and/or recipients of government funds (Pell Grant, Cal Grant, etc.).
• Students may apply for a maximum scholarship amount of $500.

The award will be disbursed to your UCI student account by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Scholarships may not exceed a student’s cost of attendance. This scholarship may reduce or replace your loans or unused work/study funds to allow for the scholarship to be applied. If you have questions about how the funds may impact your financial aid package, please contact your financial aid counselor at finaid@uci.edu or call (949) 824-8262.

By submitting this application, I hereby give permission to the UCI SOAR Center to review my academic transcript record to verify next quarter enrollment. It is my understanding that this information will not be made public.

Students' professional and academic goals must align with Umoja practices:

1. Engage in conscious dialogue, discourse, and deliberate learning.
2. A willingness to share your experiences authentically with an ethic of love.
3. Share what you have learned with your community to develop communal building.
4. Cultivate spaces to foster cultural pride and belonging informed by historical experiences of the African diaspora.
5. Participate in community mentorship.

PLEASE NOTE:

*Active involvement with the SOAR Center can include being a member of a registered campus organization (RCO) that was a part of the SOARing for Education Affiliation program during the 2024-2025 and/or 2025-2026 academic year or any other program under the SOAR Center.*

**Active involvement within the Umoja Pilot Program, Transfer Student Center (TSC), or the Center for Black Cultures, Resources, and Research means participating in programs held during the 2024 - 2025 and/or 2025 - 2026 Academic Year. **

Please note: First-year transfer and incoming freshman student applicants will be asked to submit a copy of their academic transcript. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For questions or concerns, please email SOAR (soaring@uci.edu).