College Opportunity News

Volume 4, Issue 3, July 25, 2008

In this issue:

1)		CCO Board of Directors welcomes new members Roberta Furger of PICO, former Secretary of Education Gary Hart, Frank Quevedo of Southern California Edison, and Maria Casillas of Families in Schools join the CCO Board. << Learn more
2)		"College Opportunity Day" will bring hundreds to the State Capitol at 10am on August 6th More than 300 students from across the state will join policymakers to support SB 890. << Learn more
3)		SB 890 Early Commitment to College in Assembly Appropriations Committee – CCO Delegations visit Legislators - Learn about the bill, its co-authors, and why California needs to communicate an Early Commitment to College directly to middle school students and their families. << Learn more
4)		Profiles: Contest winners past and present This year the "Save Me a Spot in College" Contest awarded over $125,000 in scholarships to over 200 winners – hear from one of this year's winners and get an update on a 2006 winner. << Learn more
5)		CCO Youth Ambassador Jesse Andrews writes to Central Valley students Read excerpts from his article that appeared in The Know – a project of New America Media. << Learn more
6)		New Round of KnowHow2Go PSAs hit airwaves and billboards nationwide Watch these high quality Ad Council ads that will be in your living room soon as CCO, the Lumina Foundation, and SoCal CAN release them across the state and the country. << Learn more
7)		Funding Update The California Wellness Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation provide significant support for our work to improve college access and student success. << Learn more

CCO Board of Directors welcomes new members
Roberta Furger of PICO, former Secretary of Education Gary Hart, Frank Quevedo of Southern California Edison, and Maria Casillas of Families in Schools join the CCO Board. back to top>>

Roberta Furger, Research & Communications Manager, PICO California

Roberta Furger coordinates PICO California's statewide education work. Her responsibilities include supporting the education work of local affiliates through training and research, developing partnerships, coordinating education-related grants and projects, and representing PICO and its affiliates at a state level to advocate for a quality education for every California student.

Roberta represents PICO California on several state committees and partnerships, including the Data Advisory Committee convened by Governor Schwarzenegger and Superintendent O'Connell to work with around the development of the state's next-generation education data system, the advisory committee of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, and the California Department of Education's advisory group related to the school accountability report card.

Gary K. Hart, former Secretary of Education

Gary K. Hart is a former state legislator (1974-1994), former Secretary of Education (1999-2000) and was founder and director of the California State University's Institute for Education Reform (1995-1994; 2000-2005).

As Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and as Secretary of Education he played a leadership role in the creation of major legislation relevant to the work of the Campaign for College Opportunity including: the California ScholarShare Program; the Community College Transfer Agreement Act of 1991, state funding for AVID, and APLE, the Assumption Program of Loans for Education.

Hart also serves on a number of other boards including the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), the Cotsen Family Foundation; and the Charter Schools Development Center.

Frank Quevedo,
Vice President of Equal Opportunity for Southern California Edison

Frank Quevedo is vice president of Equal Opportunity for Southern California Edison. He has served as chairman of the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) for three terms and currently chairs the Personnel and Nominations Committee. He also chairs the Puente Project. He sits on a number of other boards and advisory committees including the Asian Pacific American Legal Center; the California State University, Fullerton University Advisory Board; the Community Reinvestment Act Committee of El Dorado Bank; the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund; the Western Law Center for Disability Rights; the National Civic League; Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs; and the United Negro College Fund Southern California Advisory Committee.

He was an appointee of President Nixon as well as Governor Jerry Brown, and served in Washington D.C. in the Reagan administration in 1982 as chief of staff to Commissioner Tony Gallegos at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

He has been selected by Hispanic Business Magazine on its annual "100 Influentials" listing on three separate occasions.

Maria Casillas, President of Families in Schools

Maria A. Casillas is President of Families in Schools (FIS), an organization created by the Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP) in 2001 to engage parents in the education of their children and to strengthen the relationship among families, schools and communities.

Ms. Casillas supports K-12 school reform through community-based coalition efforts such as the Boyle Heights Learning Collaborative (BHLC) and Communities for Educational Equity (CEE), as an active member on various non-profit boards and advisory committees, and she was appointed co-chair for the Los Angeles' Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance and served on the Board of the Los Angeles County Board of Education (LACOE).

Maria worked for 20 years in the LAUSD and has taught at various campuses in the California State University (CSU) system and has collaborated with the Chancellor of the CSU system in the creation of special teacher development initiatives aimed at improving teacher quality. She has held various leadership roles through the California State Department of Education and served on the Commission for Children Youth and their Families for the City of Los Angeles.

"College Opportunity Day" will bring hundreds to the State Capitol at 10am on August 6th
More than 300 students from across the state will join policymakers to support SB 890. back to top>>

Over 300 Students from across the state will join State Superintendent Jack O'Connell, Senator Jack Scott, Senate pro-tem Darrell Steinberg and many other policymakers to support the Early Commitment to College program and recognize the 2008 "Save Me a Spot in College" Contest winners.

If you work directly with middle and high school students, we encourage you to bring them to this event to learn about college access, see the State Capitol, and visit with their legislators. Contact Maria Luisa Figueroa as soon as possible at (209) 549-2441 or at marialuisa@collegecampaign.org to learn more. It is a FREE, student-friendly event.

Reserve your Spot ... Please RSVP by Friday, August 1, 2008 to marialuisa@collegecampaign.org.

The Event will include:

Awarding scholarships to the Save Me a Spot in College Contest winners
Recognition of Save Me a Spot participants and partners
A chance to hear from our State Leaders about upcoming legislation affecting current middle and high school students
FREE lunch, college resource materials, t-shirts, buttons, and guided tours of the State Capitol

We would like to extend a thank you to the speakers at this landmark event: State Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell, State Senators Jack Scott, Darrell Steinberg, Tom Torlakson, and Gloria Romero, and Assembly Members Kevin De Leon, Warren Furutani, Jim Beall, Alberto Torrico, and Cathleen Galgiani.

SB 890 Early Commitment to College in Assembly Appropriations Committee – CCO Delegations visit Legislators - Learn about the bill, its co-authors, and why California needs to communicate an Early Commitment to College directly to middle school students and their families. back to top>>

'Study hard and graduate from high school, and California will save you a spot in college' is the bargain offered to middle school students in SB 890 Early Commitment to College, authored by Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena) and Chair of the Senate Education Committee.

The purpose of Early Commitment to College is to ensure that students and their families, beginning in middle school, understand that if they prepare for college, California will provide them the opportunity to pursue a career technical education or a college degree in our community colleges and universities and provide financial aid for eligible students with need.

The program is simple because it builds on existing programs, but powerful because it packages these opportunities into one commitment made to students at an early age. It seeks to reverse troubling trends of declining educational achievement that will hurt the economic competitiveness of the state.

The Campaign for College Opportunity recently kicked-off a series of visits with key legislative leaders across the state. Coalition supporters are invited to join Campaign staff and "Save Me a Spot in College" Scholarship participants and winners in delivering contest entries to legislator's district offices.

Delegations will also urge the support of SB 890-Early Commitment to College and request California Leaders continue to support college opportunity and student success. For more information or to participate in a visit in your area contact Natasha at natasha@collegecampaign.org.

The bill has garnered widespread, bi-partisan support and is co-authored by 39 Republican and Democrats in the Assembly. On August 7th the bill must be moved off the suspense file in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, chaired by Assembly Member Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), and on to a floor vote.

You may send your own letter of support for SB 890 on behalf of your organization by August 6th by clicking here to download the sample letter.

Profiles: Contest winners past and present
This year the "Save Me a Spot in College" Contest awarded over $125,000 in scholarships to over 200 winners – hear from one of this year's winners and get an update on a 2006 winner. back to top>>

Over the past three years, the "Save Me a Spot in College" Scholarship Contest has given over a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships to California students in the 6th through 12th grades. Students who participate in the Contest also are given opportunities to meet with their local legislators about issues of college access and learn more about how state policy affects their futures.

Jessica Muñoz
Incoming Junior at Mount Eden High School in Hayward, CA.

Jessica Muñoz was inspired to write her poem in order to break stereotypes. As a Latina at a high school with significant gang activity, Jessica wants to be seen for her unique abilities, not as a criminal. She strives to be proactive in her community. She has sat on the Hayward Youth Commission for two years and is signed up with Volunteers of America.

Excerpt from her contest winning poem:

...I'm Mexican, so I must have swam across a river.
Instead, I dove into an ocean of knowledge.
I'm Mexican, so I must have hopped the border.
Instead, I hopped from one grade level to another.
I'm Mexican, so I must be an illegal alien.
Instead, I have foreign customs and a mind that is out of this world.
Save me a spot in college so I can succeed.
Save me a spot in college so I can stand on my own two feet.
Save me a spot in college so I can shatter the stereotypes.
I'm Mexican, so I must not be college bound.
Save ME a spot in college to prove them all wrong.

Victoria Conlu
Finishing her Associates Degree at SF City College.
Heading to University of San Francisco for her RN degree.

Two years ago, as a senior at Deer Valley High School in Antioch, Victoria Conlu won a grand prize in the "Save Me a Spot in College" Contest with an essay that exclaimed that all she needed was the opportunity to get to and finish college and she could make something of herself.

Conlu will have her Associates Degree from San Francisco City College by the end of the fall semester and will transfer to the University of San Francisco to become a Registered Nurse. Then she hopes to go on to become a Nurse Anesthetist.

She is among the first in her family to earn a college degree. A lot of family members have started college she says, "but one thing or another always comes up." Her advice: "At community college it can be really easy to get lost in the system – you have to learn how to motivate yourself" and find people who can help you.

CCO Youth Ambassador Jesse Andrews writes to Central Valley students
Read excerpts from his article that appeared in The Know – a project of New America Media. back to top>>

CCO Youth Ambassador Jesse Andrews spread the message of college opportunity to students in the Central Valley with an article written for The Know, a magazine of youth voices in the Central Valley – a project of New America Media.

Excerpts from his letter:

"To Rise Beyond Our Environment! A Letter to Young People Everywhere" – By Jesse Andrews

Dear Young People,

Sometimes the older generation may forget to give words of encouragement to young people, to keep us going from day to day...

My parents were not always there to give me the encouragement I needed to become who I am today. It took a lot of thinking and self-determination, and telling myself, I wanted something better for my future...

Many times, we walk around with the wrong intentions of making a difference in our lives. We walk as if we have no direction or hope. I have been to that point...

I want to emphasize that education is a vital part of life because it will help accomplish dreams and success in life.

When the Save-Me-A-Spot-In-College (a project through the Campaign for College Opportunity) told me that a college-going student makes approximately $1.1 million more than a student who just graduates from high school, I became determined to tell young people everywhere that college is essential. When we get an education, we have the chance to become more independent, and not need others to tell us where to live, how to live, what to eat, and how to eat.

With a college education, I know I will have more freedom to be who I am, to continue to follow and pursue my dreams. I have a dream of attending Morehouse College to become a doctor, and I am constantly making sure that my credits and my grades are on track. I am a junior right now, but I am excited about my senior year in high school because I plan on getting plenty of scholarships and financial assistance to make my dream possible...

New Round of KnowHow2Go PSAs hit airwaves and billboards nationwide
Watch these high quality Ad Council ads that will be in your living room soon as CCO and the Lumina Foundation release them across the state and the country. back to top>>

In partnership with the Lumina Foundation and the Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN), CCO kicked off the release of innovative new television, radio, and print ads to inform students about going college.

The focus of this new campaign is to encourage students to take "tough" classes to prepare for college – biology, algebra, and foreign languages.

Watch these high quality Ad Council ads that will be in your living room soon by going to www.knowhow2go.org.

Funding Update
The California Wellness Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation provide significant support for our work to improve college access and student success. back to top>>

The Campaign for College Opportunity wishes to thank these two foundations for providing significant support for our work to improve college access and success in California.

The California Wellness Foundation - $600,000 over two years in core support funding to improve access and enhance success in community colleges and higher education in California as a major strategy for the preparation of a diverse health workforce.
The James Irvine Foundation - $400,000 over two years in core support funding to ensure through effective public policy, that California community colleges and universities serve a greater number of students who enter and complete their vocational and academic goals.

We would also like to thank these additional individuals and organizations that have also recently contributed to the Campaign for College Opportunity: The Weingart Foundation; International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and All Student Loan.

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