Operation Jump Start

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

At OJS, we know that student success starts with student wellness. Balancing school, responsibilities and life challenges can feel overwhelming. OJS students do not have to navigate it alone.

Our Student Wellness Program offers:
✨ Free individual counseling
✨ Workshops and wellness resources
✨ Online mental health tools and support
✨ Remote and in-person sessions

Our team includes certified Mental Health First Aiders and compassionate MSW graduate students who serve as counselors who are dedicated to supporting students.

All sessions are private, supportive, and designed to meet students where they are. 💚

OJS students: Ready to prioritize your wellness? Email our Program Director, Maria Alvarez, at [email protected]

Photos from April's Beach Clean Up at Rosie's Dog Beach!

Trash Dump ❎
Photo Dump ☑

Career Week, Day 3! We started off at Studio One Eleven where they shared their lovely office space and talked with students about different career paths to working at an architecture company. We then moved over to Arktura where they spoke on mixing design and engineering into a finished product before giving a tour of their manufacturing facilities!

Thank you to both of these amazing companies for hosting us and ending our career week on a high note!

Career Day Highlight 🌟— Day 2 took our students into the world of Engineering and Infrastructure! They started the morning with a Harbor tour, thanks to the Port of Long Beach, and got an up‑close look at the scale and complexity of port operations during a scenic boat ride. In the afternoon, they headed to the Long Beach Courthouse to explore how thoughtful planning, design, and construction come together to create such a stunning and layered building.

Over spring break, we kicked off Career Exploration Week in partnership with Demochicks.

Over 80 students gained real exposure to STEM careers, with a special focus on Architecture, Construction, and Engineering.

On Day 1, we visited active construction sites across LBUSD, including Jordan and Poly High School, giving our students a firsthand look at what it means to build, design, and lead in these fields.🏗✨

Stay tuned as we highlight the rest of the week and share more insights from each day.

Spring Semester College Tours Recap! ✨

This spring, OJS hit the road and explored THREE amazing campuses: University of Redlands, San Diego State, and UC San Diego. In early March OJS students toured the beautiful Redlands campus. There, they got to experience life at a small private liberal arts school, learn about programs, and even step inside a real dorm room! (it was a HOT day, but totally worth it!)

Almost two weeks ago, OJS embarked on the challenge and scheduled two college tours in one day! Despite the early start, our students showed up with incredible energy as we explored both SDSU and UCSD!

At UCSD, we had a special full-circle moment 💙 We reconnected with two of our Class of 2025 alumnas, Belle and Maryam, who shared their experiences and advice with our students and staff.

We continue to look forward to theses college tours and hope that these experiences create meaningful memories to our students.

Who knows where we'll tour next!

You’re invited 💙 Join us for Operation Jump Start’s 2026 Scholars’ Day on June 13 at 9:30 AM at the Long Beach Yacht Club.

This powerful celebration honors our students and brings our community together while raising critical support to ensure we can continue to show up for every scholar.

Be part of the impact:
• Attend and celebrate alongside our students
• Sponsor to expand our reach
• Donate to support their journey to and through college

✨ Early bird tickets are available now through April 30

There’s nothing like Scholars’ Day, and we hope to see you there. Visit ojslb.org to learn more and support OJS's Scholars Day Campaign today. ✨

From plates to plants 🌿 Part 2 of our Nutrition Series brought us to the garden, where we got our hands dirty and connected healthy eating to where it all begins. Growing food, growing knowledge, growing together 💚

Last week’s Mentor 2 Mentor celebration was an absolute blast! 🎉

We love bringing together our mentors, staff, board members, and future mentors for these bi-monthly social hours. It’s a chance to connect, share experiences, and strengthen the community that helps us better serve our youth. 💙

From great food and meaningful conversations to a lively round of Table Topics, the energy in the room was unmatched. Moments like these remind us how powerful connection can be. We’re already counting down to our next M2M in May!👏

Interested in being part of this incredible community? We’d love to have you join us as a mentor. Our network is vibrant, welcoming, and always growing—and there’s a place for you here.

Visit joinojs.org to learn more and sign up today. ✨