L.A. City College Guardian Scholars Program Helps Former Foster Kids Navigate College Life
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This is the time of year when parents of teenagers are digging in their heels to make sure their offspring are headed in the right direction. They're seeing that the SATs are scheduled, prep classes attended, college applications submitted on time. They're visiting college campuses, helping their children decide which is best for them. They're filling out forms ad infinitum, applying for every scholarship under the sun, all the while providing encouragement and guidance and support.
But what of the kids who have none of these advantages? That scenario is no more evident than among those who have aged out of the foster care system and find themselves alone and thrown to the proverbial wolves. In Los Angeles, particularly, many have not graduated from high school, they have no job skills, no direction. Many are destined to fall through the cracks, facing a future where success is seen less frequently than the incidence of homelessness, substance abuse and poverty.
At Los Angeles City College, David Ambroz finds this situation unacceptable. The Executive Director of the LACC Foundation, himself a product of foster care, knows first-hand how a little help can go a long way. That's where the Guardian Scholars Program comes in, a program established to fill that gap between foster care and higher education. http://www.thesaylesorganization.com/lacc.html
"It takes so little to make such a huge difference in these kids' lives," Ambroz says. "We help them navigate the daunting maze of starting college, we help with the very minimal tuition at City College and we make sure there's an adult available to them every step of the way." The Guardian Scholars Program is providing the resources and support structure needed to ensure that these students will be successful in achieving their educational goals. Through adult mentoring, life skills training, financial support and caring role models, students are able to receive a higher education degree or vocational certificate which has a significant impact on employment opportunities, earning potential and, perhaps most importantly, an individual's sense of self-worth.
"A huge payoff for a most modest investment," Ambroz says. "It's the program I'm most proud of being involved in at LACC." Further information on the Guardian Scholars Program may be obtained through the Los Angeles City College Foundation at 323-953-4011.
SOURCE Los Angeles City College
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