Tessa Thompson is helping the next generation of women in entertainment…

The 38-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress will appear alongside Jennifer Garner at The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment gala to shine a spotlight on THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.

Garner and Thompson will present high school students with nearly $1 million in university scholarships to graduates of the mentorship program, which pairs the best and brightest high school girls from underserved communities in the Los Angeles area with top-level female executives, lawyers and agents.

The mentorship program is a joint venture between THR and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles.

Past mentors have included Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, Imax Entertainment president Megan Colligan, Netflix vp content Bela Bajaria and Disney TV Studios–ABC Entertainment chairman Dana Walden.

More than 200 girls and 200 mentors have taken part in the program, with the mentees going on to universities including Harvard, UC Berkeley and UCLA, supported by $10 million in scholarships raised by THR.

The gala coincides with the release of THR’s annual Women in Entertainment issue (on newsstands December 8), which highlights the Power 100, the leading female executives in entertainment.