We are so happy to share that thanks to your support, we reached almost 200% of our fundraising goal during the DEIBJ Crowdfunding Campaign in November, and we are so grateful for your contribution towards our goal of supporting undergraduates in STEM.

These gifts have been put to use to support our impressive community of scholars. We celebrated last semester's achievements at an End of Semester Celebration in December, we provided nourishing food for our students during RRR week, we admitted and onboarded 43 new members in January, and we have an exciting semester of programming scheduled for our members. Further, we've been hearing from program alumni who are preparing for graduate and medical school interviews, who are starting new jobs, and alumni who are connecting back to BSP to recruit for their companies. 

As a way to keep in touch with our community of supporters, we sent out a New Year's update and greeting. You can see it here and see more BSP news items here. 

To continue to support BSP and our mission of supporting undergraduates, consider signing up to be a Big Give ambassador this year. 

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On Thursday, March 14, 2024, we invite our incredible Cal community — alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends like you all over the world — to show your support for our remarkable university during the 10th Big Give. A decade strong, this annual day of giving celebrates a community aglow with Cal spirit. Contests and matches spark friendly competition, the hashtag #CalBigGive builds awareness and excitement, but it’s YOU, your dedication, and generosity that glow on as we mark 10 years of fueling innovation, transforming lives, and illuminating all that’s possible at UC Berkeley and beyond.

Sign up to be an ambassador for BSP to use your voice to get them more support! As a Big Give champion, you can help build excitement for your favorite Cal causes by promoting us to your personal networks and social media platforms.

You’ll get an individualized link that allows you to track your results throughout Big Give and see how much you’ve helped your favorite programs increase their donations. And ambassador-specific contests offer even more support!

New this year: You + 2

Ambassadors who sign up, make a gift, and get two more gifts from their friends and fellow Bears will receive a special mug and tote!

Be a Big Give ambassador to build awareness and ensure that Berkeley’s blue-and-gold light shines brightly for generations to come. Thank you for helping make BSP and Big Give such a success!

We can hardly believe it, but November is coming to an end, and so is our crowdfunding campaign. Thank you for your attention and support this month - it's been great sharing updates with you and having you accompany us as we reached for our goals. 

We have a few days to reach our $10,000 stretch goal, and we're nearly there! We hope that we make it because every gift up to $10,000 is matched and its impact is doubled. 

In reflecting on this past year, we thought we'd share a few memories. 

This summer, we onboarded our first cohort of COMPASS Scholars. In 2022, BSP was awarded $2.9M to support 5 cohorts of BSP COMPASS Scholars over the next 5 years in partnership with the Berkeley Stem Cell Center. The program is for BSP students who are interested in gaining an in-depth and sustained research experience in stem cell biology and preparing for a variety of careers in the field of regenerative medicine. 

BSP's very own Mario Eusebio started his new adventure in medical school at UCLA this year as part of the newest UCLA PRIME cohort. Mario came to Berkeley as a Transfer student, joined BSP, became a Peer Advisor, then a Staff Advisor, and is one of the biggest advocates for our students. We weren't surprised when Mario got in touch shortly after touching down in LA to let us know that he's already connected with the extended BSP family in SoCal. We're everywhere, thanks to the community of support that we have. 

BSP celebrated its 30th anniversary last year at an event at University House with Chancellor Christ. The important contributions that BSP members made in their careers as scientists, medical professionals, policy makers, educators and leaders over the years were recognized. It was a wonderful event that was attended by all of the BSP co-founders and many BSP supporters.

Thank you again for your support again and again. The successes of BSP are rooted deeply in our community, and we are so grateful for all of you. 

BSPers say that the most special thing about BSP are the friends that they make in the program.

The friends made in BSP study groups are the friends that take upper division courses together. They support each other after graduation and during medical and graduate school applications. These connections opens doors for each other and introduce each other to others in their professional networks. Early BSP alumni have celebrated life events with each other and supported each other through difficult times. The bonds made in BSP are lifetime bonds.

The BSP takes pride in creating social spaces for students to create these deep bonds outside of the classroom. For the past three years, BSP Peer Advisors and staff have hosted boba tea hikes through the Berkeley fire trails. The connections that our students make in the program fosters their STEM identity and sustains them throughout their academic and professional paths.

Support for the BSP program goes directly towards student-centered programming. Check out the photos from our last three boba tea hikes!

John Matsui, BSP Director and Co-Founder, recently received the Elizabeth Schar Inspiring Future Leaders award at the California Life Sciences 20th Pantheon Awards. 

Your support of the Biology Scholars Program is an investment in future leaders. Take this chance to double the impact of your gift to support equity in STEM education thanks to a match gift from Lloyd and Christine Bakan. 

Thanks to YOUR SUPPORT, we are excited to announce that we've increased our $5,000 goal to a $10,000 stretch goal!

Lloyd and Christine Bakan have generously offered to match each gift up to $10,000 so if you give during this campaign, your gift is doubled. 

And, to maximize your investment in BSP, please consider sharing this with your networks and checking to see if your employer will match your donation, tripling your gift to BSP! Find out if your employer will match here.