Santa Maria Valley YMCA celebrates dozens of graduates in ‘Rise Up’ educational program

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Santa Maria Valley YMCA celebrated dozens kids who graduated Friday from it's three-year-long Rise Up educational program.

"It's very meaningful," said Richard Batalla, Santa Maria Valley YMCA Youth Development Director. "The dedication that these students and these parents put in with this program, and to able to complete it and with same students over the past three years, it's amazing."

Rise Up was created to bridge a social and educational gap for some in the community, and is designed for kids in third through sixth grades that have been identified and recommended for the program by school administrators.

"They need more, help with when it comes to their education," said Batalla. "A little bit in math or in English, and they just need more guidance, in their academic field. We bring them here and we teach and we pretty much non-stop when they come to us. We give them the assessment that they bring assessment the first year to see where they're at academically, and then after that we just build on and we also give the same assessment within the three years, so when we can see if they have improved or not."

During the course of the three-year-long program, kids go through various academic and physical education activities and lessons, with an emphasis on STEM (Science, technology, engineering, mathematics) categories, as well as literacy.

"Our program is really based on a lot on social and emotional learning," said Batalla. "We do a lot of STEM education. We teach them robots, rockets. We have a career fair where we bring professionals that are within tha category. We bring in a police officer, software engineers, military people. We've actually had the opportunity to take these kiddos to the Vandenberg Space Force Base where they got a tour of the camp of the base and exactly what they do, and then we also took them to the Science Museum in Los Angeles, where they whatever they learned within the three years, they were also able to to see the hands on exactly what they were learning."

Notable physical education activities including swimming lessons, which for many kids in the Santa Maria Valley teaches them a valuable skill they do not have at the beginning of the program.

"I didn't know how to swim at first," said Rise Up student Julayna Gonzales. "They let us do our own stuff at first, but then they help you and learn. During the swimming test, it helps you because you get to do it as many times as you want until you actually do it."

Another valuable component of Rise Up is its partnership with Allan Hancock College, where it ties into the school's "Bulldog Bound" program.

"The Bulldog Bound is a program that's designed for elementary school students to get them thinking about going to college and really building that college going culture," said Kevin Walthers,Hancock College President/Superintendent. "Rise Up is the first stage of that where the YMCA really helps us get kids to start thinking with that vision."

On Friday, 50 kids graduated from the Rise Up program, a significant step in their education, but also a milestone for the YMCA and the program as well.

"We haven't had a graduation since I believe 2017," said Batalla. "We stopped this program during Covid and we brought it back, so we are very excited today and we're also very blessed. Honestly, this is a big accomplishment, not only just to graduate 50 kids, but to graduate the same 50 kids that started, and that says a lot of a lot about our program because we also build friendships with parents, and the parents trust us to bring their kids to this program."

It's a program that kids personally said has already made a big difference in their lives.

"It's helped me out with my, spelling and the how I say stuff," said Gonzales. "It's just helps with my future and my life."

"I like STEM," said Jason Gonzales, Rise Up Student. "It's very fun because you get to build projects like we build like a robot one time. It makes me feel good areas because I'm going into a higher grade than I was before." 

For more information about Rise up, or other Santa Maria Valley YMCA programs, click here to visit the organizaiton's website.