About Project Stepping Stone

Project Stepping Stone (PSS) is a program of the Escala Foundation that helps Indiana’s top academically high-achieving Hispanic/Latino students prepare for college and beyond. This summer college prep and mentorship program is offered at no cost to students and is carried out by a 100% volunteer crew and funded by the generosity of individuals, university, corporate, and community partners.

Our Mission

Our goal is to improve college enrollment and college and career success for Indiana’s Hispanic/Latino high school students. Project Stepping Stone has a 20-year track record of success in preparing the state’s Latino high school students and has seen a positive success rate in ensuring our PSS alumni enroll and graduate from college. In fact, over 78% of the PSS students who attend Project Stepping Stone go on to pursue a post-secondary degree. In turn, our PSS alumni go on to be leaders on their college campus, engaged professionals in their workplaces, and inspire and civically-engaged members of their communities.

The PSS Story

Project Stepping Stone of Indiana was launched in 2004 by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA). With the goal of encouraging Indiana’s top students to pursue their MBAs and careers in Indiana at the forefront, NSHMBA leadership understood that college success was a first step to graduate school.

Our one-week summer college prep and mentorship program (in June) helps Indiana’s top academically high-achieving Hispanic/Latino high school students prepare for college and beyond. Selected students are introduced to potential careers and includes visits to several of Indiana’s leading college campuses and corporations. 

As educators, business leaders, and influencers who touch the lives of many students, we are challenged daily by the obstacles that keep academically high-achieving low-and moderate-income students from moving on to higher education. For most of these students, the dream of going to college seems out of reach. PSS provides the opportunity for students to see the value of education beyond high school and we help underscore how critical a college degree can become to realizing their dream for themselves and their families. At PSS, we turn dreams into reality.

Why PSS Matters

PSS student come from all walks of life. They are similar in that they identify as Hispanic/Latino, they are high academic achievers, and they have the desire to go to college. Over 85% also identify as the first in their family to attend college. We believe education is the key to success for our community and for all Hoosiers, especially as the data shows that those with college degrees typically earn significantly more than those with only high school diplomas.

It’s no secret that Indiana’s economy needs more educated workers but that Indiana has struggled to increase its college enrollment and attainment. The college-going rate has declined for the past five years and the Commission for Higher Education reported that of the high school graduating class of 2022, only 53 percent went directly to college and only 44 percent of Hispanic/Latino HS graduates went directly to college.

We are here to change these stats – one student at a time!