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When Sophia Gaona began attending Salt Lake Neighborhood School (SLCC), she labored full time in a fast-food restaurant, took courses at evening and did her homework on her cellphone. Think about writing an essay in your cellphone at 1 a.m.
Nobody in Sophia’s household had ever gone to school. In highschool, she went backwards and forwards, asking herself, “ought to I do it (go to school), or don’t?”
Sophia determined to do it, however she realized she’d be on her personal. Her motivation? A dream to grow to be a social employee but additionally to indicate family and friends that there's one other path after highschool. “For us, it’s not nearly understanding you wish to go to school however understanding methods to do it.”
SLCC helped Sophia determine methods to “do it.” Partway by means of her first 12 months, she found the sources and monetary assist accessible at SLCC. She acquired a presidential scholarship, started engaged on campus and have become concerned in a number of golf equipment.
There are lots of college students like Sophia at SLCC. Greater than half are the primary of their households to attend faculty, and greater than 80% work whereas going to highschool. These younger individuals usually assist to look after siblings and contribute financially to their households. The emotional and psychological toll to determine, on their very own, methods to make faculty occur, plus the stress to uplift their households, is rather a lot.
SLCC’s early involvement in center and excessive faculties opens doorways to many of those youngsters. The faculty connects college students with scholarships and supplies the steerage and mentoring their dad and mom may not be capable of provide. That is particularly evident within the faculty’s flourishing PACE Scholarship Program which is energetic in 5 Salt Lake County excessive faculties.
SLCC helps college students perceive that faculty is feasible for them. As Utah’s largest open-access faculty, we depend on personal donations to supply scholarships and safety-net applications that always maintain college students at school. Apart from scholarships, SLCC supplies baby care vouchers, medical assist, psychological well being counseling and a full-service pantry for college students experiencing meals insecurity.
The faculty additionally has a College students-in-Disaster Fund, which launched in 2020 as a technique to deal with the financial turmoil seen throughout the onset of the pandemic. The faculty quickly found that, pandemic or not, many college students required help in assembly primary wants. In consequence, the school has maintained this fund to assist struggling college students pay for housing, utilities, meals and different vital wants.
The pandemic additionally revealed that the hole between those that have and people who shouldn't have has widened, leading to extra stress for a lot of of our college students.
Sophia remembers this stress from the pandemic’s early days, however her SLCC scholarship permits her to work fewer hours and make automobile funds so she will be able to drive to her courses and assist take her youthful brother to and from highschool.
On these drives, she is persuading him that faculty is certainly attainable. She tells him concerning the sources and alternatives at SLCC. “I'll present you the way,” she says. “That is one step that may assist our household. You are able to do this.”
As former college students and as members of SLCC’s Alumni Management Council and Basis Board, we've got seen firsthand the constructive position SLCC performs in remodeling lives.
Please think about supporting SLCC so we will help extra college students like Sophia pursue a brighter future. Whereas the school has an annual Giving Day, Feb. 17, we're at all times seeking to accomplice with anybody at any time to assist our exceptional college students attain their goals. We hope you'll be a part of us!
Silvia Castro, class of 1996, is the Alumni Management Council consultant on the SLCC Board of Trustees. She is the Govt Director of the Suazo Enterprise Middle, a Utah non-profit centered on financial mobility for the minority group. She has greater than 20 years’ expertise working with non-profit, authorities and for-profit organizations.
Bryce Whittaker, class of 2001, is Chair of SLCC’s Alumni Management Council. He's Senior Director, International Digital Technique at APCO Worldwide.