Starr Hill Pathways Program
SIF177 Starr Hill Pathways Program
Project Manager: Ben Allen
Approved: Spring 2021
This program will provide the social, technical, and research infrastructure to redress educational inequities that persist in the Charlottesville-Albemarle region.
Project Dates: 7/01//2021 – 6/30/2031
Total Funding: $6,000,000
Current Status: Active
The Starr Hill Pathways Program (SHP) is a program that will provide the social, technical, and research infrastructure to redress educational inequities that persist in the Charlottesville-Albemarle region. Modeled after the Wolverine Pathways program at the University of Michigan, “a free, year-round college readiness program for 7th through 12th-grade students,” SHP will start with students in 7th grade to create a system of support for local youth from historically marginalized communities, while building a pathway for admission to the University of Virginia or the college that best meets their needs. This partnership between UVA, Albemarle County and Charlottesville City public schools, and numerous community-based organizations will improve student outcomes and mitigate opportunity gaps ensuring that local youth are academically prepared for post-secondary education, are thriving socially and emotionally, and have access to a wide variety of enrichment opportunities and support networks. SHP will refine a model for university-community collaborations that benefit students nationwide.
Website: https://communitypartnerships.virginia.edu/starr-hill-pathways
Starr Hill Pathways is a middle school to college pipeline program for low-income and potential first-generation public-school students from the communities surrounding UVA. This research-backed initiative consists of coordinated programming organized career pathways exploration, academic support, social-emotional support, and college and career preparation. The SHP curriculum includes grassroots curricula developed by community partners engaged in youth programming, a cohort model that follows students from 7th grade through high school graduation, family coordination including help with whole family resource needs, a whole- child approach to learning, and a zero-cost commitment to families for all programming.
Since its creation, Starr Hill Pathways (SHP) has served the educational, career-aspirational, and social- emotional needs of 295 different students. During the 2024/25 academic year, SHP had enrolled 225 students in 7th – 10th grades: 166 were enrolled in Albemarle County Public Schools, 47 in Charlottesville City Schools, and 10 from other districts. Of those students, 70% reported being prospective first-generation college students and from low-income families. We engaged with 29 community partner organizations, including UVA units, Piedmont Virginia Community College departments, non-profit organizations, and private businesses.
In the 2024 – 2025 Academic Year, we welcomed 57 rising 7th graders to join the 168 returning 8th – 10th grade scholars. The 2024 SHP Summer Program consisted of a 2-week career-exploration day camp for 7 – 9th graders held on UVA grounds. Scholars were able to self-select into a career-specific pathway based on their interests in mixed-grade level groups, while also breaking up into their specific grade level for more focused academic counseling sessions. Rising 10th graders were placed into paid internships through a partnership with Charlottesville City’s Community Action Youth Internship Program (CAYIP). SHP pays for the salaries for CAYIP internships, while CAYIP provides infrastructure, soft skills training, and job coaching.
During the school year, SHP provides scholars with academic and socio-emotional support programs. SHP students who were identified as needing academic support, as well as any student who opted in, were eligible for free tutoring sessions provided by UVA undergraduate students or Center for Community Partnerships staff, in either English or Spanish. Students also attended group mentoring sessions with community partners or Center staff. Scholars were also brought back to UVA grounds for single-day career exploration sessions during teacher workdays. Students were provided free transportation to UVA and given breakfast before moving into career exploration activities led by community partners.
The SHP research team studies the impacts of SHP college and career interventions through surveys and structured interviews and focus groups with scholars. Preliminary data shows that SHP appears to have a positive impact on career self-efficacy and outcomes expectations, and that SHP scholars have strong levels of social support. Our research team has written peer reviewed papers, research briefs and white papers, and presented their research findings at national academic conferences.
Henley student, Aanya Sonkusare wins Writing Contest- Albemarle County Public Schools
Behind-the-Scenes: Light House Studios x Stall Hill Pathways : Ting Internet
UVA Faculty Bring Community-Engaged Teaching to Life Through Starr Hill Pathways
By Sydney Shuler, Center for Community Partnerships
Community-engaged teaching at the University of Virginia is driving real community impact, fostering strong connections between students at UVA and across the Charlottesville and Albemarle County region. Through partnerships with the Center for Community Partnerships’ Starr Hill Pathways (SHP) college and career readiness program, UVA faculty are reinforcing primary subjects for undergraduate students by assigning them to tutor and mentor local students.
Starr Hill Pathways is a multi-year program that connects middle and high school students, primarily from first-generation or low-income families, with career exploration, academic enrichment, and mentorship opportunities. According to the 2024-25 SHP Annual Report, SHP is quickly growing, with 265 students guided by 29 UVA and community pathway partners in the program’s fourth year of operation. As part of the UVA Civic & Community Engagement Program, SHP partners with faculty across disciplines to expose students to hands-on learning opportunities and expand their sense of what’s possible.
One of the program’s longest-running collaborations is with Professor Esther Poveda Moreno of the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Since 2020, Poveda Moreno has paired students in her classes, Writing for Social Justice and Change and Sí se puede: Community Engagement in Spanish-Speaking Charlottesville, with students at Albemarle High School for in-school tutoring and mentorship. Initially developed to support remote learning during the pandemic, the model continues today as an in-person experience, giving SHP students structured time for both academic support and community connection.
"These courses have transformed not only my students, but me as well,” Poveda Moreno says. “Stepping outside the university bubble into the community has challenged us to confront inequities, listen deeply, and grow through reciprocity. I've seen students shift paths or affirm their callings, pursuing careers in service and advocacy, while my own teaching and academic work has become more connected and meaningful."
What makes the partnership especially impactful is its dual focus: UVA students gain hands-on experience in language practice while engaging with Spanish-speaking SHP students and the community, while SHP students receive consistent tutoring and mentorship from near-peer role models. With the support of the Mellon Race, Place & Equity Program and departmental support, which includes covering student-related costs and bringing community leaders and guest speakers to class, the model is designed to be accessible, sustainable, and replicable.
More recently, SHP students have taken a hands-on approach to mathematics through a partnership with Professors J.D. Quigley and Sarah Maloni in UVA’s geometry lab. Beginning in the 2023 academic year, SHP students began attending on-Grounds lab sessions where they explored math through puzzles, logic challenges, and geometric construction that reached beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom. SHP also assisted in arranging site visits to geometry classes at Monticello High School, connecting learning across the community.
The goal of the UVA Geometry Lab is to provide UVA undergraduates with hands-on experiences in mathematics. Supervised by UVA Math Department faculty and graduate students, students in the Geometry Lab are invited to experiment with and visualize mathematical concepts in different ways.
“Working with the students from Starr Hill Pathways has been a fantastic opportunity for the students in the UVA Geometry Lab to showcase what they have learned and create excitement for math outside of the usual K-12 curriculum,” Quigley said. “It is also a wonderful chance for them to ‘become the teachers’ for a couple of hours, thinking critically about how to communicate with different audiences.”
In the second year of collaboration, the partnership is expanding even further. About forty UVA students enrolled in Quigley’s Transition to Higher Mathematics community-engaged course will tutor SHP students for one hour per week, reinforcing their own mathematical and technical communication skills while providing one-on-one academic support. Tutors are trained in advance by SHP staff and complete UVA Youth Protection training, while SHP student interns coordinate logistics and scheduling.
Quigley says it is essential for students to practice communicating math outside of the classroom. Tutoring students in Starr Hill Pathways’ tutoring program enables students from Transition to Higher Math to practice explaining mathematical concepts at a more advanced level. It also allows them to learn about the local school system and challenges some students face when learning math.
“Working with UVA faculty and students is a tremendous, mutually beneficial resource for our SHP students and UVA students,” said Lucy Montalvo, Director of Starr Hill Pathways. “It allows UVA students to learn about the Charlottesville community while providing SHP students with academic and mentoring support.”
Together, these partnerships demonstrate the impact of faculty leadership in fostering community-engaged research and teaching. Through sustained collaboration, programs like SHP can continue to bridge UVA resources with community needs, creating a university culture where meaningful service and academic excellence are inextricably linked.
Read the 2024-25 Starr Hill Pathways Annual Report here: https://www.flipsnack.com/6D66EAEEFB5/starr-hill-pathways-annual-report-2024-2025/full-view.html.
