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Helping students succeed
From startups to venture capital, Castro Valley native Pete Zaballos made his mark in the tech world for over three decades. Frank Mallicoat reports
PLEASANT HILL, Calif. - From start-ups to venture capital, Castro Valley native Pete Zaballos made his mark in the tech world for over three decades.
The UC Berkeley and MIT grad wanted to give back to those institutions that shaped his successful career when he had an epiphany.
"If your college has an endowment, already they have too much money," he said. "If you really want to make an impact on students' lives go and turn your giving to an organization that doesn’t have an endowment."
So, Zaballos went back to his roots establishing the "Diamante Scholars Program" at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.
It’s the very same junior college where this then-very average student discovered his passion for math and engineering.
"We want to find the overlooked kids and then set them on the path to college and a livelihood, and teach them all those skills that really matter in a career," Zaballos said. "We hope to help them to better understand how to apply their curiosity. Help them be better problem solvers. Help them learn how to be resilient."
In one short year, the program is now flourishing.
It targets seniors at four East Bay high schools: Ygnacio Valley, Concord, Mount Diablo and Olympic High.
Thirty-one students were accepted this year, and all will be mentored during their two years at DVC exposing them to life skills and much more thanks to Zaballos’s expansive tech network.
Diamante’s student engagement manager says the opportunities are endless.
"We have people from venture capital, from biotech, medicine, video game narrative design all talking and connecting with students," said Ada Ocampo.
Eighteen-year-old Jorge Solis is in his first year of the program.
He was an average ‘C’ student in high schools and now has his sights on an engineering degree.
"I really want to transfer to a UC probably Berkeley. That’s what I’m really reaching for and try and figure things out. That’s what Diamante has given to me so far," said Solis.
For Zaballos, it’s all about finding one’s passion in life and then working in that field.
Grades are important but not the end-all to success, and he hopes this program helps students find their spark in their field of choice.
"This is the first time in my life I’ve started something. So it is totally awesome because it’s coming straight from the heart," said Zaballos. It’s a new venture that will pay dividends for generations."