2022 Personal Statement Workshops

826 Valencia is proud to announce a series of very special Personal Statement workshops for 2022! This fall, we will be offering six in-person workshop opportunities. 

We’re inviting all high school seniors in SFUSD to register, attend, and get that extra boost of support, and all available 826 Valencia tutors in the community to come out to support them as they write, revise, and edit these important responses. We are hoping to support more than 200 students this fall. 

Here’s how it works: Students and tutors can sign up for one or more tutoring sessions, which run from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in person on Fridays from September through November.

• Friday, September 30 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at 826 Valencia St.
• Friday, October 7 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at 826 Valencia St.
• Friday, October 14 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at 826 Valencia St.
• Friday, October 21 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at 826 Valencia St.
• Friday, October 28 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at 826 Valencia St.
• Friday, November 4 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at 826 Valencia St.

826 Valencia will pair trained tutors with students to provide individualized feedback on their college application essays. All personal statement and scholarship essay writers are welcome, whether they’re just starting, almost finished, or somewhere in between. 

Here are what some of last year’s students and tutors had to say about our Personal Statement event series: 

• “My tutor was very interesting and understanding. Having spent time with someone as smart as my tutor motivated me to work harder on essay writing in general.”
• “Because I had a tutor to talk to, I was able to move much further along in the writing process of my personal statements. I learned to break down my essay into specific points that can be more clearly stated and understood. This made the writing process easier for me as well.“
• “It is always inspiring to hear the incredible stories of strength and resilience displayed by these amazing young people. They often do not perceive their own triumphs.”

Now that you’re excited, please spread the word! Our current record is serving 191 students during a single weekend, and this year we are aiming to serve even more with our four day workshop series. 

Registration for students and tutors is now open. Read on for details on how to sign up—we anticipate that spots will go quickly! 

Ready to jump in? Registering for the event as a student or as a tutor is easy—just follow the links below:

Students: Click here to register! You may sign up for up to two workshops. 

Tutors: Sign up on our volunteer calendar! You will need to be a registered volunteer with 826 Valencia to attend these workshops. Read more about getting started as a volunteer with 826 Valencia this fall. Feel free to contact us at volunteer@826valencia.org with any questions. 

If you have questions, please contact Programs Director Ryan Young at ryan@826valencia.org. Can’t make it but still want to get involved? Consider sharing the opportunity with your network.

Please Note: In 2016, the UC made significant changes to the Personal Statement prompts. All tutors are required to attend a training on the Personal Insight Questions (PIQs). If you have already attended our training on the PIQs, you will not need to attend again this year.