It is a sunny afternoon in May, and three goats are being blow-dried patiently near their pen at Hope, Horses & Kids’ stables, Rancho Cielo’s onsite nonprofit partner. Their fur […]
News
Rancho Celebrates Largest Graduating Class in its History
Rancho Cielo marked a historic milestone on Friday, June 12, when 93 students received their high school diplomas in what stands as the largest graduating class in the nonprofit’s […]
Rancho Cielo Partners with AIM Youth Mental Health
When students at Rancho Cielo sat down to design their own peer-to-peer survey questions, they didn’t ask about academic stress or college applications. Instead, they asked about safety and conflict […]
Nico Hernandez and the Discipline of Becoming a Chef
There is a moment—he will tell you this himself, though not in so many words—when everything rearranges. It happens not in the kitchen, not exactly, but somewhere between the work […]
Under Bright Lights, Futures Take Shape
On Sunday, February 22, Rancho Cielo hosted its 16th annual Culinary Round Up (CRU) at the Portola Hotel & Spa. The ballroom filled the way it always does, slowly at […]
After School Program Builds Pathways to Possibility
Terry Poole has played in the NFL. He knows the roar of a crowd, the pressure of the huddle, the grind it takes to compete at the highest level. But […]
Ranch Cast
All About Leadership
Episode 45: Terrific program this week as Drummond Culinary Academy GM Wanda Straw joins us to talk about her fascinating past and Rancho Cielo’s bright future. Culinary star grad, Tony […]
Native Plant Bootcamp
Episode 44: A fun, informative program from the Native Plant Boot Camp held at Ranch Cielo earlier this summer. Rancho’s own, Master Gardener Julie Lorenzen is joined by other Master […]
Priceless
Episode 43: Interesting program from Rancho Cielo’s Classic Car Education Day. We welcome Board Member and good friend of Rancho, Bill Hayward who shares the fascinating backstory on his 1934 […]
To Protect, Serve and Begin a Career
Episode 42: Salinas Police Chief Carlos Acosta and Fire Chief Samuel Klemek join us for the hour for a discussion on career opportunities. Sargent Zak Dunagan, Assistant Fire Chief Dave […]
A Celebration of Car Week
Episode 41: On this week’s program, we talk about one of the great traditions on the Monterey Peninsula as we preview Car Week. Our panel includes Nile Estep, Roman Barns […]
In The Air Everywhere
Episode 40: One of my favorite interviews with the legendary pilot Sean Tucker. He’s been there, flown that and continues to make a profound difference in so many young lives. […]
Featured Newsletter
2026 Summer Newsletter
On Friday, June 12, Rancho Cielo marked a historic milestone when 93 students received their high school diplomas in the largest graduating class the nonprofit has ever seen. Held in partnership with John Muir Charter Schools, the commencement brought together graduates from across Rancho Cielo’s vocational programs and Silver Star Youth Program in an emotional celebration of perseverance and possibility.
The ceremony’s emotional peak came when Jose Manuel Mendoza-Avina, a Construction & Sustainable Design Academy graduate, took the podium as student speaker, a surprise to his father and grandmother seated in the audience. Despite growing up without his mother and falling in with the wrong crowd, Mendoza-Avina found direction through Rancho Cielo’s construction program, the Ranch Cast podcast and AIM Youth Mental Health’s Ideas Lab. “If you can take one thing from my story,” he said, “Things take time, and sometimes things do not go as planned, but don’t give up.”
