POMONA, Calif. -- In March, federal prosecutors charged 50 people in what many are calling the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted.

Many of the parents involved in the scandal were accused of funneling money through a false non-profit in order to ensure admission to high-profile campuses across the United States.

While the scandal put the college admissions process under a microscope, there are several local organizations that are actively helping students to gain admission to and graduate from college.

Bright Prospect is one such organization, based out of Pomona.

“We are an all-inclusive support system,” said Christopher Brown, the team’s senior manager. “In the city of Pomona, there is not a lack of aptitude. But getting in is just half the battle, [it’s] staying in and graduating that make up the other half.”

At least twice a month, you can find Robinson in one-on-one meetings with high school seniors like Mauro Lozano — who is facing a difficult decision when it comes to college admissions. Lozano has been admitted to 13 colleges, most on a full scholarship. Though he may seem like the pillar of success, getting to this point was not an easy process.

“Neither of our parents went to college, so we couldn’t really ask them about the process,” Lozano explained. “We needed an outside program with the answers and the help. Without them, I think I would have had a lot more struggle and a lot less sleep.”

Lozano said when he first learned about the college admissions scam, he was disappointed, especially considering all of the work he had put in over the last four years.

“I’m from a first-generation, low-income household,” he said. “I don’t have as many advantages as these people that can afford to bribe their way into college. And to think that they can get away with this, just to bribe their way in, it’s kind of an insult to people like myself that do work hard.”

However, Lozano and Robinson were adamant that the scam did not discredit the work done by Bright Prospect. The group has helped more than 2,500 students so far and works with them in seminars, individual coaching, and application help.

“They give us the time and the support and they invested in us because they knew we had potential,” Lozano said.