More than a hundred students from throughout Sacramento County received grant-funded scholarships through programs designed to help young people with financial needs to prepare for and enter college.
At a special May 25th ceremony inside the Secretary of State Auditorium in downtown Sacramento, 125 high school seniors representing 27 Sacramento-area schools were awarded college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $4,500 for use toward community college or four-year college or university programs.
"People with college degrees have more job opportunities, which is important in today's economy," Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon told attendees. "A college degree provides greater access to health insurance, pension plans, and other benefits. Overall, people with college degrees enjoy a better quality of life than high school graduates."
The scholarships were made available by the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), California Student Aid Commission, College Access Foundation, and Cash for College. Cal-SOAP is a project administered locally through the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE).
The Sacramento Cal-SOAP directly serves students in 50 middle schools and high schools throughout Sacramento County. The project provides tutoring services to students and delivers a college and financial aid advising program to approximately 5,300 students in nine high schools.
The College Access Foundation of California, the largest grant-making organization of its kind in the state, helps California students who have financial needs to attend college. The Foundation provides millions of dollars in grants to community-based organizations that are helping students prepare for and enter institutions of higher learning.
For more information about the Cal-SOAP program, call (916) 228-2656.