High Expectations and High Achievement Take Center Stage at FCE Forum
by Elaine Ray

    At Foundation for a College Education's annual Higher Education Forum, the educational success of East Palo Alto students took center stage. Held at Palo Alto's Garden Court Hotel Friday, March 19th, the event featured a keynote conversation between Ted Mitchell, president and CEO of the NewSchools Venture Fund and a leading voice in local and national education reform, and Carmen Ochoa, an FCE staff member and graduate of the FCE program.
   Carmen, assistant director of FCE's College Success Program, graduated magna cum laude from Mount St. Mary's College with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and a minor in psychology. Next year, she will enroll in the U.C.L.A. David Geffin School of Medicine. 
     Ted Mitchell framed his conversation with Carmen by presenting the statistics that show that although getting into college is a challenge, it is in fact easier than getting out. Presently, only half of all students who enroll in college will complete their degrees, and fewer than 25% of Latino and African-American students will graduate. In light of these statistics, Ted explored with Carmen how she managed to beat the odds.

Inspiration and Information 

     Carmen's journey to medical school began when at nine years old her uncle gave her an anatomy book.  Her parents supported her goal to become a doctor, but she and they needed help navigating the college application process. FCE provided that help. Her parents appreciate the support that FCE gave Carmen and the entire family. She relayed a conversation she had had with her mother the night before the FCE breakfast. "She wanted me to tell all of you that FCE opened her mind and her eyes to a different world, one that she was never exposed to."

Aspiration and Preparation

    Ted asked Carmen what advice she would give to students who aspire to go to college. She advised them to aim high and surround themselves with those who believe in them, even when others are "telling you otherwise." As a high school junior, she went to see her college counselor, who looked at her transcript and said, "I am surprised that someone like you did this well." That was the last time Carmen went to see her.
    She also pointed that in addition to finding a support system it's essential to work hard. She shared that during late nights in college when she was struggling with Physics, she would write her name on a piece of paper followed by MD and tape it up on her wall. " It's really important to visualize your goals," she said.

Realization and Mobilization

    During the question and answer period an audience member asked how, in light of the current financial crisis in California, we can get more funds into the educational system so that individual successes such as Carmen's become the norm for all students.  Mitchell said that there is a significant cost to society if we don't educate our students fully.  We must recognize that if we don't support education, we will continue to lose talented students between middle school and high school and between high school and college.  And, furthermore, the failure to fund education at the college level will continue to result in the "unrecognized tragedy" of nearly three-quarters of low-income students who enter college, not receiving their degrees.  He concluded, "That's why FCE's commitment to stay with students through college is crucial."

FCE's Core Values and Strategic Goals

    Other speakers at the breakfast included FCE alumna Anabell Cervantes, a sophomore at Santa Clara University, and Anna Waring, FCE's executive director. Anna discussed the organization's core values of high expectations, family and community engagement, measurable results for its students, and the commitment to stay with students through college graduation. 
    Anna also introduced the four strategic goals that will guide the organization's efforts over the next three years.  These goals are: to double the number of student who graduate from FCE by 2013; to strengthen the middle school pipeline to ensure that FCE has access to students who will benefit from its program; to build stronger community relationships through increased communications and outreach efforts; and to increase organizational capacity and infrastructure.