About Project Stepping Stone

Project Stepping Stone (PSS) is a program of the Escala Foundation that helps Indiana’s top academically high-achieving Hispanic/Latino students prepare for college and beyond. This summer college prep and mentorship program is offered at no cost to students and is carried out by a 100% volunteer crew and funded by the generosity of individuals, corporate, and community partners.

Our Mission

Our goal is to improve college enrollment and college and career success for Indiana’s academically high-achieving Hispanic/Latino high school students.

The PSS Story

Project Stepping Stone of Indiana was launched in 2004 by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA). With the goal of encouraging Indiana’s top students to pursue their MBAs and careers in Indiana at the forefront, NSHMBA leadership understood that college success was a first step to graduate school.

Our summer college prep and mentorship program helps Indiana’s top academically high-achieving Hispanic/Latino high school students prepare for college and beyond. Selected students are introduced to potential careers and includes visits to several of Indiana’s leading college campuses and corporations. 

For many of these high-achieving, high-need students, the dream of going to college seems out of reach. At PSS, we turn dreams into reality.

Why PSS Matters

PSS students come from all across Indiana but have several things in common: they are academically high-achieving, often high-need, and have the desire to go to college. Over 85% will also be the first in their family to attend college. We believe education is a major key to success and economic mobility for all Hoosiers, especially as the data shows that those with college degrees typically earn significantly more than those with only high school diplomas.

It’s no secret that Indiana’s economy needs more educated workers but that Indiana has struggled to increase its college enrollment and graduation rates. The college-going rate has declined for the past five years and the Commission for Higher Education reported that of the high school graduating class of 2022, only 53 percent went directly to college. In contrast, over 78% of PSS students who attend Project Stepping Stone go on to pursue a post-secondary degree. PSS alumni also go on to be leaders on their college campus, engaged professionals in their workplaces, and civically-engaged members of their communities.

We are positively impacting Indiana’s talent pipeline and fostering a community of civically-engaged professionals—one student at a time!