The Navigating to California (NAV2CAL or N2C) Fellowship is the sister program to NAVCAL. Through NAV2CAL, UC Berkeley student mentors are recruited, hired, and trained to support high school students—particularly those from areas such as West Contra Costa County—by introducing them to NAVCAL’s core functionalities and providing guidance on the University of California application process.
NAV2CAL is designed to serve historically marginalized high school students through a near-peer mentorship model, where current UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students engage in active coaching and support. Mentors help students navigate the UC application process while demystifying research opportunities at R1 institutions and fostering a sense of community and belonging.
Through this initiative, NAV2CAL Mentors build meaningful relationships with NAV2CAL Student Fellows. These relationships improve campus climate, strengthen social connections to the university, and ultimately increase the number of underrepresented students who apply to, gain admission to, and enroll at UC Berkeley.
By addressing barriers to access and yield, the NAV2CAL Fellowship empowers prospective UC Berkeley students to overcome challenges, understand available campus resources, and be better prepared to enter and thrive in higher education.