Foundation for a College Education

Our rising first-year college students recently participated in College Transition Week, where they were introduced to the College Success program, attended various workshops, shared meals, and engaged in community-building activities. They learned about college expectations, researched available resources and communities on their campus, academic requirements, and essential topics such as healthy relationships and consent, financial aid, budgeting, time management, and networking. This dynamic experience has equipped them for a strong start in college. We are excited to support them in this new chapter and look forward to all the great experiences ahead!

FCE was pleased to join the Northern California College Promise Coalition's (NCCPC) Convening for Champions of Higher Education Equity, 2024 Joint Convening of Elected Officials and Funders at Santa Clara University. We heard from an array of incredible speakers and met peers from other organizations who are doing amazing work to promote higher education. Thank you to Meredith Curry Nuñez (Executive Director), Heather Miller (Deputy Director), and the entire NCCPC team for coordinating this fantastic event!

Last Thursday, the city of East Palo Alto hosted a group of students from FCE for a well planned shadow day. Students had the opportunity to hear from a panel of different city employees, shadow different departments (finance, law, law enforcement, and city planning/building), participate in a resume workshop, and observe mock interviews. A huge thank you to all of the city employees who made this a meaningful experience for our students and for showing them all that happens behind the scenes to keep the city running smoothly. A special thank you to Maurice Baker (Community Services Manager) and Melvin E. Gaines (City Manager) for planning, organizing, and making this day possible.

FCE College Bound and College Success students recently had the opportunity to go to Cisco to meet and hear from a group of phenomenal employees. They shared their past experiences, how they got to Cisco, and why they love and continue to work at Cisco today. A very big THANK YOU to the employees who took time out of their day to spend with our students, and to Head of Operations, Global Communications, Jennifer Greig and SVP and Chief Communications Officer, Maria Poveromo for making this opportunity happen for our students, and helping them envision their futures beyond college.

Happy 4th of July!

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY | Applications are now open for TICAS’ #HigherEd Policy Fellowship Program! This opportunity is for #Grad students & professionals passionate about shaping the future of #HigherEd policy. Applications close July 31, 2024! https://buff.ly/4cFsMyC #HigherEd #EducationPolicy #Fellowship

FCE students recently had the privilege of visiting Stanford Law School. We want to thank Juliet Brodie, Stanford Community Legal Clinic Director, for coordinating the event and the four outstanding law students who shared their education journeys and experiences in law school. This was an invaluable opportunity for our FCE students.

FCE students attended this year's College Success Collaborative (CSC) Conference, along with over 300 other students from our community! They had the opportunity to participate in professional development and career exploration workshops, get to know other students from their universities, and listen to the inspirational speeches of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and the Mayor of East Palo Alto, Antonio Lopez. Huge thanks to all the CSC organizations who have worked so hard in making this event possible.

FCE students had the opportunity to visit the national headquarters of the nonprofit organization Guide Dogs for the Blind. They toured the campus and then attended a career panel where they heard about various careers within the organization. Afterward, they toured the University of San Francisco and were hosted by the new student orientation team. At the conclusion of the campus tour, they participated in campus trivia and a student panel about how to navigate the college application process and college life. We would like to thank our hosts at these organizations especially Christine Benninger and Kelly Rippolone. Our students had a wonderful experience!

Donna is a recent Sacred Heart Prep graduate. The college that she has committed to is... Santa Clara University where she intends to major in Ethnic Studies! Congratulations Donna!