A Better Chance and Cate School
In Partnership: A Better Chance and Cate School
A Better Chance (ABC) and Cate School have collaborated for more than 50 years, bringing students of color who wouldn’t have otherwise had access to the Mesa to share their talents, wisdom, and experiences with the community.
With dozens of ABC scholars graduating from Cate since the 1970s, we share a deep history of connection with the organization. ABC scholars have mutually supported Cate in meaningful ways, including six who have served or currently serve on the Board of Trustees, a dedicated employee who is an administrator, advisor, and dorm parent, and dozens who are class agents, volunteer leaders, and loyal donors.
In 2013, Cate was awarded the Access Award from ABC for “opening doors to greater educational opportunities and demonstrating continued commitment to ABC’s mission by graduating over 50 scholars.” Since then, more than 40 additional ABC scholars have graduated from Cate. And as recently as 2016, Cate hosted 70 of the program’s scholars and their families from across Southern California for a full day on the Mesa.
In 2024, thanks to the leadership of Sheila Marmon Heuer ’90 – Cate trustee, ABC Scholar, and Chair of the ABC Board of Trustees – a group of generous donors, comprised of ABC scholars and others who admire the program, collectively contributed to name a space in the Inquiry Collaborative, the capstone building project in the For Cate and Forever campaign. Recognizing this gift in the academic hub of the school is intentional in fostering belonging and celebration for ABC scholars on the Mesa.
In celebration of A Better Chance and the many placement programs that have supported students over time, Cate offers our gratitude and acknowledgment of the many perspectives and gifts every scholar brings to the community.
A Better Chance Cate Scholars
Please contact the Advancement Office at advancement@cate.org if you find errors or omissions, or prefer not to be included in the list below.
1971
Richard Walker
1976
Samuel Dacus
Juan Salcedo
Brent Washington *
1977
Johnnie Fudge
Jose Palmas
1980
Eric Taylor
1981
Lauren Alexander
Clarence Grant
1982
Alonso Duenas
Cletis Shelby *
1983
Gerald Brooks
Calvin Rankin
1984
Angie Gomez
John Patencio
Sylvia Torres-Guillén
1986
Lori Jordan
Amanda Kim
1987
Andrea Edwards
David Jones
1988
Joe Beas
Tha Le
1989
Mireya Corona
Sheldon Smith
1990
Darnell Brooks
Sheila Marmon Heuer
Tania Smith
1991
Larry Burks
1992
Gilbert Beverly
Michael Coffey
Cherie Conley
1993
Lane Burks
Elton Carter
Fatima Nelson
Adriana Palafox-Pina
Kameke Sweeney
1994
Tamara Heyward
Elijah Irby
Athena Jones
1995
Mia Grandpre
1996
Daniel Cherry
Aisha Dawson
Gregory Lemmons
1997
Alonzo Maldonado
Brandon McKenzie
Alexis Riding-Rice
1998
Maritsa Hofherr
Shannon Mitchell
Ogo Nwanyanwu
1999
Micah Carr
Karina Palafox
Tiffany Vaughn
2000
Alejandro Flores
Ariana Lorenzana
Christine Luu
2002
Leone Price
2003
Nydia Di Bello
2006
Nisha Babaria
Vanessa Cruz Santana
2009
Guadalupe Ortega
2010
Jazmin Rogers
2012
Stephanie Flores
Vanessa Lizárraga
2015
Sal A. Villatoro
2016
Ajibola Bodunrin
Clinton Hall
Isaiah Washington
2017
Ciana Biasi-Smiley
Ya’Kuana Davis
Musa Hakim
Isaac Lee
Angie Meneses Olvera
2018
Desmond Castillo
Jazmin Estévez-Rosas
Joe Silva
Joseph Thomassen
2019
Israel Sanchez
Victor Vasquez Diaz
Emely Villatoro
2020
Tesfa Asmara
Madeleine Gutierrez
Alex Kim
Jamie Morales
2021
Nkemka Chukwumerije
Zach Hanson
Jay Hernandez
Sarah Ruelas
Hector Silva
Ari Sterling
Tega Umukoro
2022
Chidera Chukwumerije
Diamond Head
Ethan Ligon
Kalia Lopez
2023
Jae Hall-Collins
Marley Joseph
Kennedy Kirkland
Justin Musyimi
2025
Stephanie Akinfolarin
Alexander Espinoza
2026
Ali Zielina
2027
Arelic Rodriguez
* Deceased
ABC Coastal View Room Donors
Richard Baum ’64
Lawrence Browne
Alex Choi & SK Hwang
Maribeth & Scott Claassen ’97
Andrew Clark & Roanne Daniels
Sheila Marmon Heuer ’90
Athena Jones ’94
Ginny & Ralph Lewis ’76
Adam Rhodes ’79
Emery Rhodes ’79
Eric Taylor ’80
A Better Chance (ABC) Statement of Purpose:
Since 1963, A Better Chance has been the preeminent resource for identifying, recruiting and developing leaders among underrepresented young people of color throughout the United States. The oldest and only national organization of its kind, we select, prepare, place and support high-performing middle and high school students of color in some of the most rigorous and prestigious independent day schools, boarding schools and public schools in the country.
