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Cultivating the Next Generation
"Bridging OST Learning with College, Careers, and Lifelong Opportunities."
Cultivating the Next Generation
"Bridging OST Learning with College, Careers, and Lifelong Opportunities."
EMPOWERING FUTURE LEADERS TO BUILD FUTURE COMMUNITIES
OUR STORY
University Preparatory (UPrep) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that turns the hours after school into opportunity. Through UPrep Athletics, Formula X Engineering, Polotron, and Miles & Mentors, we give Richmond youth the access, skills, and mentors to build healthy, confident futures and a path to college.Beyond the bell is where potential gets unlocked.
WHY IT MATTERS
Black Americans are about 14% of the U.S. population, but fewer than 6% of architects and engineers. That gap doesn't start in college. It starts in middle school, when kids decide whether building things is for them.
At UPrep, students design, build, and race real machines, from unicycles to Formula X cars. They learn engineering by doing it, alongside mentors who look like them. Through our NSBE Jr chapter, they join a national network that has spent decades working to put more Black engineers in the field.
We're not waiting for the pipeline to fix itself. We're building it.
POLOTRON
Why unicycles?
Polo is played on horseback, and that has always kept it out of reach for city kids. A horse needs acres of land, a stable, feed, and a vet on call. Our students don't have that, so we brought the sport to them. Polotron uses electric unicycles, which fit on a school blacktop or a gym floor and charge from a wall outlet. Students learn what polo asks of every rider: holding their balance while moving, reading the field, and working as a team. They start with no pasture and no barn.
From the court to the stable
The unicycle is where it starts. Once a month, students visit our stable partner, where they meet the horses, learn to ride, and study the biology behind the animals they've been imagining on the court. They learn how a horse moves, what keeps it healthy, and who cares for it.
Where it leads
Veterinarians, equine scientists, barn managers, farriers. These are real careers that few city kids ever see up close. The program is built to put them in view early and give students a path to them. Our long-term goal is a UPrep equestrian center, where students can train, ride, and care for horses of their own.
Polo in the Park
Every Sunday
FORMULA X
Join us for upcoming events, from community gatherings We can't wait to see you there.
FALL SESSION SHOWCASE
DECEMBER 2026
2026 FALL SESSION RACE SERIES KICKOFF
DECEMBER 2026
MSA SESSIONS
MONDAY - THURSDAY
CLOSING THE GAP
At UPrep, every program is built to fill a gap. In too many underserved communities, young people lack access to the experiences that shape a future: hands-on engineering, competitive sports, mentorship, and exposure to college and careers. We bring those experiences to them. When a student builds a race kart, rides onto a polo field, or crosses a finish line beside a mentor, they gain more than a skill. They see what's possible. By giving our students rich, real-world experiences, we help close the gaps in opportunity, health, and education, one student and one community at a time.
UPrep Equine & Veterinary Sciences
SFrom Polotron and weekend polo with our resident player Noah Dabney to hands-on visits at partner stables, students ride, care for horses, and discover the science of animal health. It's the first step into our Health Sciences Pathway, UPrep's medical workforce development program, which prepares students for careers in veterinary medicine, nursing, and allied health. Opening the gate to new futures.
MILES & MENTORS
Miles & Mentors is UPrep's youth development program for students ages 11–18. It pairs running and mentorship with Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Students train for monthly races and track meets while caring mentors help them build confidence, manage stress, and prepare for college. The result is fitness, resilience, and connection that close health gaps in underserved communities.
UPrep FORMULA X Karting League
Born out of our Middle School Alliance engineering program, UPrep Karting puts students in the driver's seat. They design, weld, and build their own karts, then race them. It's more than a sport. We're teaching young people to be producers, not just consumers. Each kart is a step toward our advanced automotive design track and toward a bigger vision: communities that build, manufacture, and own their own factories. Build it. Race it. Own it.