In 2007, a fee referendum called Promoting Understanding and Learning through Service and Education, known as PULSE was passed, and the center Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service (SPACES) was born. This referendum allocated a small amount of student fees to retention and access efforts at UCSD. With the newfound financial backing from the university, organizations now had the support to implement year-long programs. After much discussion over the budget spending, each of the 5 core organizations (APSA, BSU, MEChA, QPoC [now known as QTPoC], and KP) of SPACES was granted one paid intern to serve as the organization’s access coordinator as well as $8000 in programing spending. From here, KP CORE was born. In the fall quarter of 2007, the Chair Brent Cadavona, Outreach Coordinator Aiza Arriola, and potential KP CORE Coordinator Keith Alminar did much research to set the foundation of this new program. After visiting and researching other programs in the UC system, KP CORE had decided to base its model largely on the access program from UCLA called Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (SPACE). KP CORE was structure as a 3-component program, like KP STAR, geared towards high school students: Counseling, Tutoring and Programming. Since then, the program has expanded, though not without struggle, and has maintained its fundamental goals of educational equity and community building.

            As a student-initiated and student-run project, Kaibigang Pilipino Community Outreach to Realize Empowerment (KP CORE) exists to provide underprivileged communities with the resources they need to access higher education. Through a unique structure and a critical approach, the project will address the academic and social struggles that prevents students from achieving success at their high schools and moving onto higher education. Moreover, the project will focus on the holistic development of the students, challenging them to become skilled and confident leaders in their own right to be prepared for the world after high school. Ultimately, this project will help to provide equal opportunities for all students and people regardless of identity or socioeconomic standing.