‘Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges’: USC McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative scholars shine at annual gala

For 95 local high school students, the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative gala was a time to celebrate the culmination of a seven-year journey — and the beginning of a new one.

“This evening is not just a celebration of how far we’ve come, but it’s also a reflection of the bridges we’ve built along the way to bring others with us,” said student speaker Henoke Berhanu, referring to the evening’s theme of “Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges.”

The NAI program provides equal opportunities for success in higher education and beyond for students living in the neighborhoods near USC’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses.

Proud parents and other loved ones joined graduating NAI students last week for an outdoor evening of inspiring speeches and stories at Founders Park on USC’s University Park Campus.

Two accomplished NAI and USC alumni also provided music and poetry. Elise Lightburn and her backup singers rocked the crowd with their versions of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” and Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing,” while poet Shandela Contreras read her powerful poem “To Whom the Palm Is Given.”

USC President Carol Folt was presented with the USC McMorrow NAI Champion Award by William McMorrow — who endows the initiative with his wife, Leslie — for Folt’s staunch support of the program during her six years leading the university.

“You’re all champions, and it is just such a privilege to share this evening with you,” Folt said.

“Since I came to USC, this is one of the programs that just made me so proud of being here. This is the real deal, and it’s continued to grow and to flourish. It really is a model for other programs across the country.”

All of the program’s seniors — who come from Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln high schools in East Los Angeles and the James A. Foshay Learning Center in South L.A. — are college-bound this fall. Among the 49 scholars set to attend USC, a record 11 are joining the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and a record four will attend the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

In addition to USC, NAI scholars have gone on to attend such universities as Harvard University; the University of California, Berkeley; UCLA; and Stanford University.

“Like 28 years of NAI scholars before you, all of you persevered, and each of you have made your dreams a reality,” USC Senior Vice President of University Relations Samuel Garrison said during his welcome speech. “You committed yourself to NAI in the earliest days of middle school and all throughout high school, and through it all, nothing could stand in your way.”

Students filled with hopes and dreams

Nearly 1,700 seniors have completed the NAI program and attended college since the program began in 1997; 487 of them are now Trojan alumni.

Beginning this fall, the program will also draw student participants from Crenshaw High School and Susan Miller Dorsey High School.

Starting in the sixth grade, NAI offers academic support and resources to prepare young scholars — including many who will become first-generation college students — for the academic rigors of college, admission and graduation. The program has a 100% high school graduation rate and a 99% college graduation rate.

Every other Saturday morning, USC’s campuses host nearly 90 students in more than 50 classrooms and buildings where NAI staff and faculty teach courses covering STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), language arts and other pre-college curricula.

“Most of us joined NAI filled with hopes and dreams but also uncertainty,” Berhanu said in his speech. “We wondered if [we] truly belong in spaces like this. But year after year, Saturday after Saturday, we were reminded that our dreams are within reach and that we do belong in every space.”

‘We are the bridge now’

The entire NAI graduating class — wearing gold medallions around their necks — flanked Berhanu as he spoke.

Berhanu, who graduated from Foshay Learning Center, pointed out that the group’s milestones — college acceptance, internships and scholarships — are bridges for younger siblings, for future NAI scholars and for the communities they represent.

“We are the bridge now, and by crossing this stage, we show them what’s possible,” he said. “When we rise, our whole community rises with us.”

Community Impact Award recipient Vincent Womack, the longtime music director at Foshay Learning Center, captivated the crowd during his remarks, which followed a video tribute from former and current students, parents and colleagues.

“The NAI program has transformed the lives of countless students and families,” said Womack, who has been associated with the program since its inception. “Thank you all for allowing me to use my gifts to contribute to that success.”

He congratulated the class of 2025 and told the students, “You always hit me right where I live in my soul. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined.”

Already home

Benjamin Santos, one of three students selected to speak about this year’s gala theme, was accepted to 10 universities. Santos ultimately chose USC because it already felt like home.

“The people, the students and the staff here are so willing to help me and give me advice in anything I need,” he said. “I already have a lot of friends here and I want to have more experiences with them.”

Wilson High School student Alexis Jacquez, who spoke alongside Santos, will also be attending USC and spoke directly to the parents in the audience, calling them “the architects of the bridges that we are building.”

“[This] is a celebration of your sacrifices and encouragement,” Jacquez said. “You are our first teachers, our fiercest advocates, our greatest cheerleaders. We shine not only for ourselves, but for you as we move forward.”

Kim R. Thomas-Barrios, the program’s longtime executive director, described the group as “an embarrassment of riches.” She proudly announced each student’s name at the end of the evening as they stood and their photo flashed on giant screens.

“Our scholars have done so incredibly well,” said Thomas-Barrios, who also serves as associate senior vice president of USC educational partnerships, before the dinner. “This truly shows that if children in any ZIP code receive the support, academic rigor and the means to acquire access, college is absolutely attainable.”