|
 |
| |  |
Our Impact
To have any hope of creating systemic change and improved student achievement, active participation and buy-in of families are essential ingredients. Thus, despite the fact that few outreach programs successfully engage parents, FCE committed early on to building the capacity of the entire family. This inclusive and comprehensive approach has been successful and our results are exciting:
- Since 1999, FCE has sent 73 students to college
- 100% of our high school graduates have enrolled in the college or university of their choice
- 100% of our students have at least one parent involved in the program
- 90% of our students who have gone to college have remained in school or graduated
Our Students
|
|
Anabell Cervantes
FCE Class of 2008, Palo Alto High School
“I know many Hispanic students like me who could be taking my advanced math class, yet because they go to a different school, don’t have parents who can fight for them, or don’t belong to an organization like FCE, they don’t get the same opportunities I do. Society has subtly pounded into our heads that we aren’t smart enough or capable enough to be at the top. Thanks to my parents and to FCE, I will be the first person in my family to go to college. I will not be the last.”
|
top
|
|
|
Joel Cruz
FCE Class of 2005, San Francisco State University
“My family and I immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when I was eight. I am the first person in my family to go to college. FCE taught me to be more aggressive about my future. Since joining FCE, I have become more independent and I have grown both academically and personally. I thank FCE for all their help and support and for showing me the path not only to a college education but to college graduation.”
|
top
|
|
|
Charles Edwards
FCE Class of 1999, University of Arizona
“In December of 2003, I graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Liberal Studies. I decided to return to East Palo Alto…to give back to FCE, the organization that has given so much to me over the years! I worked for two years at FCE as a Program Assistant and now I am a volunteer College Coach. I am happy to be supporting my community and the younger FCE students with their college endeavors.”
|
top
|
|
|
Bennie Mackey
FCE Class of 1999, Santa Clara University Law School
“Being one of very few Black, male, single-parent household students bused from East Palo Alto to school in Palo Alto certainly gave me my share of issues. Even with my positions on student council and other leadership activities, I did not always feel accepted. FCE opened my eyes to a whole world of colleges that I knew nothing about. While on a college tour with FCE, I visited Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and immediately loved it. I have since graduated from Pitzer and am proud to have recently graduated from Santa Clara University Law School. I owe all of these successes to my mother and to FCE.”
|
top
|
|
|
Drizella Moreno
FCE Class of 2006, University of San Francisco
“All my life I have felt as if my people, the people raised in the ‘ghetto’, have been judged too quickly. Society assumes that we will join gangs, deal drugs, get pregnant, or end up in jail. I’m tired of having to be part of this stereotype. I want to break through these stereotypes and celebrate my community of East Palo Alto…Before I joined FCE, I felt lost and scared of what steps it would take to graduate from high school and undertake the arduous process of applying to college…Thanks to FCE’s amazing staff, I have learned that I can only achieve as much as I let myself achieve; I must have high expectations in order to reach my goals…I will be the first person in my entire extended family to attend a four-year college; this has always been one of my family’s dreams. I want to attend college not just to better my future, but also to set an example for my younger siblings, cousins and community…”
|
top
|
|
|
Carmen Ochoa
FCE Class of 2003, Mount St. Mary's College
"Many people have played a major role in helping me succeed, but no one has helped me more than FCE. Foundation for a College Education drilled into my head the importance of a college education. I never felt alone and I knew I could always turn to them if I encountered any obstacles. I will make a difference in this world and I owe that to my family and to FCE."
|
top
|
|
|
Whitney Stewart
FCE Class of 2005, University of Puget Sound
"FCE helped me discover that with effort come options. I am grateful that FCE pushed me to truly achieve my full potential. I know that without the encouragement and support I received from FCE staff, I would not have applied to some of the more selective colleges and I wouldn't now be going to the college of my dreams!"
|
top
|
|
|
Kimberly Trujillo Young
FCE Class of 1999, Stanford University School of Education
“I was one of 60 students annually admitted to the Tinsley Program, a court-ordered desegregation program, which meant that I was bused every day from East Palo Alto to Palo Alto to attend school. The educational opportunities for the students of East Palo Alto are promising; however, the constant crossing of social and physical barriers is daunting. My goal of education after high school was at first intimidating because I was the first person in my family to pursue higher education. To ease this transition, I chose to attend community college before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley. I recently earned a Master's degree in Education at Stanford. I believe that education is the purest means of social justice and the most powerful means of social change. It is each of our responsibility to correct the glaring inequities that still exist in education today.”
|
top
|
|
|
