I’m proud to be where I am today, John.
My parents were farmworkers in California’s Central Valley. By the time I was a teenager, they expected me to follow in their footsteps and understand what they had to do to survive. It was in the fields of Central Valley, underneath the unforgiving sun, where I learned the value of hard work. I carry those lessons from the Central Valley with me still, as it is also where I came to see education as my ticket to stability, opportunity, and a better life.
I was an undocumented, first generation student who went through the California Community College system and eventually, the University of California, Santa Cruz and California State University, Long Beach. And today, I am proud to be the director of the California Campus Catalyst Fund, providing the same opportunities to young people all around the state of California, and especially the Central Valley.
Students who are undocumented face many challenges on their way to and through college. These challenges were and continue to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why, with generous assistance from the California Endowment and Jorge Ramos, we launched a new program providing $500 in direct cash assistance to 300 Central Valley college students.
Alongside the direct cash assistance, Immigrants Rising is preparing to welcome a cohort of rising undocumented student leaders from the Central Valley who will participate in a leadership development fellowship for the next six months. The fellowship consists of mentorship, technical assistance, and project development programming to develop the leadership skills the fellows need to serve as conduits for change in the Central Valley and beyond.
I hope that these grant awards and opportunities will help undocumented students in the Central Valley realize new possibilities in their lives through education — in the same way that education provided a pathway forward for me. I am proud of the many accomplishments of the undocumented students we are serving through the Catalyst Fund, the leaders we are fostering, and the community we are building.
Learn more about the California Campus Catalyst Fund here.
Gratefully yours,
Victor
|
|
|
|
The California Campus Catalyst Fund is made possible by the support of Chavez Family Foundation, College Futures Foundation, Crankstart, ECMC Foundation, Grove Foundation, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Ginnie and Peter Haas, Jr. Fund, Heising-Simons Foundation, Hellman Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, Kelson Foundation, Loud Hound Foundation, NextGen America, and Weingart Foundation.
Victor García, Ed.D
Catalyst Fund Director
Immigrants Rising |
|
|
|
|
