The newest graduates of the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative show their Trojan spirit. (USC Photo/Steve Cohn)
USC McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative celebrates 30th class of college-bound scholars at annual gala
USC’s signature college prep program is sending all 89 of its 2026 graduates to colleges this fall — with more than half becoming Trojans.
Harvard University-bound high school senior Richard Manzanares Alvarez relished the opportunity to publicly pay tribute to the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative for its crucial role in his academic journey.
“NAI gave us more than academic support,” Alvarez said in a heartfelt speech at Thursday’s annual gala for USC’s signature college preparatory program. “It gave us confidence. It gave us community. It gave us people who believed in us sometimes before we fully believed in ourselves.”
Alvarez, flanked by his fellow NAI graduates, pointed out that while they grew up in communities filled with resilience and potential, opportunities like the ones NAI provides are not to be taken lightly.
“NAI taught us that where we come from does not determine where we can go,” said Alvarez, valedictorian of James A. Foshay Learning Center. “The success of this class belongs to our families, teachers, mentors, advisors, donors and every member of the NAI team who invested their time, energy and heart into us.”
The event at Founders Park on USC’s University Park Campus marked the culmination of a seven-year journey for Alvarez and 88 other college-bound local students who began a program of rigorous study in sixth grade.
“You are now joining 30 years of graduating NAI scholars who turned aspirations into reality,” USC Senior Vice President for University Relations Samuel Garrison said as he welcomed attendees. “When students combine hard work and opportunity, they can achieve extraordinary things.”
Turning aspirations into reality
Most school days, NAI students in grades 9-12 start their morning at USC taking classes. The students then take a bus back to their Los Angeles Unified School District schools for the rest of the academic day. NAI scholars also spend most Saturday mornings at USC following a pre-college curriculum from language arts to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program also features tutoring, summer programs, and family engagement and support.
Since 1997, more than 1,780 scholars who live in the neighborhoods near USC’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses have graduated from NAI. The program maintains a 100% high school graduation rate and a 99% college enrollment rate.
Participants come from Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln high schools in East L.A. and the Foshay Learning Center in South L.A. The program expanded last fall to also include Crenshaw and Susan Miller Dorsey high schools.
A grateful Trojan legend returns
While the evening belonged to the students, it also included the presentation of the Community Impact Award to the national nonprofit organization Baby2Baby, which provides basic essentials to children in need. Trojan football legend and retired NFL player Rodney Peete also received the USC McMorrow NAI Champion Award.
Peete, who attended the gala with his wife, actress Holly Robinson Peete, was moved by the occasion.
“I’m reminded that this community has always been about more than just achievement,” Rodney Peete said during his speech. “It’s been about belief, opportunity and the power of one generation lifting the next. The USC family is real.”
He talked about the importance of “the life-changing moment when someone says, ‘We see you, we believe in you. Keep going, we’re behind you.’”
“For so many students, that belief becomes the difference between simply hoping for a future and truly stepping into one,” said Rodney Peete, who was inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
Hopeful NAI students look to future
NAI graduate Jayden Hamilton could barely contain his excitement as he stood at the pre-dinner reception with fellow students.
“This is breathtaking,” said the Foshay Learning Center senior, who will be attending USC. “Just being here right now is more unreal than I even ever imagined it to be. I used to watch the NAI gala videos and think, ‘I can’t wait for my moment.’”
Hamilton was accepted into 22 different universities and colleges across the United States, including Pepperdine University, Grinnell College, Tuskegee University as well as several public universities in California.
“I waited four years to be able to apply,” he said. “To see each acceptance, it was like a trophy and achievement for me.”
Lincoln High School graduate Andres Pereda-Olympia was accepted to 10 universities and chose to attend USC. The track and field athlete and high school football player credits NAI for helping to keep him focused on his goals.
“This is a really cool moment for me and my peers,” Pereda-Olympia said before the dinner. “All that work that we’ve put in since middle school up until now, it really has paid off.”
Foshay Learning Center senior Jolie Hillman, who will major in human biology at USC, described herself as “so blessed and just happy” before posing for a group photo with fellow graduates.
“This is just a dream come true,” Hillman said. “This is what I’ve been working for since sixth grade. NAI gave me confidence, pushed me and helped me believe that whatever I want to do, I can do.”
