Community

Mentorship Programs Fuel College Dream for Oakland Teen and Others Like Her

Cheeks, 17, who was born and raised in Oakland, wants to eliminate corruption from within. Her first step will be majoring in sociology and participating in the Black Scholars Program, which will give her a community to interact with daily.

Published

3 years ago

September 22, 2021

Isabelle Price

Imahni Cheeks

Oakland Technical High School graduate Imahni Cheeks moved into a residence hall at the University of San Francisco last month as an underrepresented college student who wants to one day be a lawyer.

Her mother is from Mexico and her father is Black. Afro-Latino people are not well-represented in higher education, according to Berenice Vega, who worked with Cheeks through Oakland Promise, an organization that helps Oakland students get from the cradle to a career.

That changed just a little when Cheeks received notice that she was accepted into USF, full expenses paid, including any needs such as BART fare, books, and a computer.

Cheeks described herself as a social justice advocate.

“I’ve seen the issues,” Cheeks said of police brutality against Black men and crowded housing in the Hispanic community. “This needs to change,” she said. “I want to be part of the change.”

Cheeks was accepted into University of California at Berkeley, too, but chose USF because she sensed she will find community there.

She said the decision was hard and she looked for a sign that never came. On the day she chose to accept USF’s offer, she said she probably would have changed her mind 20 times.

She is now settled on USF, with the understanding that it isn’t a final decision; she could apply again or transfer.

“I don’t know tomorrow,” Cheeks said, a motto she uses frequently.

What swayed her decision was also the feeling she got from talking with a sociology professor at USF who was excited about working with Cheeks and said she would be there for her along the way.

Cheeks has 10 siblings and described herself as family-oriented. Five siblings live in one U.S. household, one lives in another U.S. household and four live in Mexico, she said.

Her parents are divorced. Besides Oakland, she has lived in Antioch and Vallejo.

Daniel Guzman, former program manager for Latino Student Achievement in the Oakland Unified School District, helped Cheeks with scholarship applications.

She was a pleasure to work with, said Guzman, who described her as a self-starter who takes initiative.

As far as other personality traits, she’s not afraid to share her own ideas even if they’re not aligned with yours, Guzman said.

He described Cheeks’ personality as “infectious.”

To Vega, college access coordinator with Oakland Promise, Cheeks is mature and very outspoken.

“She’s really like a model student,” Vega said.

The two met at a youth leadership meeting that Guzman held.

Cheeks knew, according to Vega, that college was going to be a way out of a low-income upbringing.

“I definitely wanted to make sure she didn’t fall through the cracks,” Vega said of Cheeks.

Isabelle Price

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

7 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

7 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.