WHAT

Three hundred parents from Santa Ana have been invited to visit Santa Ana College as part of the college’s “Padre a Padre” series. Outreach to parents of Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) students begins in middle school and continues as the students enter college. As part of the Santa Ana ¡Adelante! program, the event is designed to provide parents with the tools to encourage college going in Santa Ana. Parents will learn how enrollment in community college is the first step on the higher education journey that leads to transfer, baccalaureate degrees and beyond. Parents will also learn about how to apply for financial aid and scholarships, and about resources and services provided on campus to encourage student success, and more. All presentations will be in Spanish with English translation available.

WHERE

Santa Ana College, Phillips Hall, 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana

WHEN

Thursday, November 7, 2013
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHO

The following individuals may be available for interviews:

• Sara Lundquist, Ph.D., Santa Ana College vice president of student affairs
• Rosa Harrizon, founding member of Padres Promotores de Educación
• Martha Vargas, Santa Ana College counselor
• Peggy Card-Govela, Santa Ana College scholarship coordinator

WHY

Nearly eight years ago, a coalition of educators got together and set an ambitious goal: To create a program that would encourage more Santa Ana students to go to college, and to one day have a college degree in every home in Santa Ana. Launched two years ago, the Santa Ana ¡Adelante! program is the latest initiative in the longstanding partnership between Santa Ana College, Santa Ana Unified School District, California State University, Fullerton, University of California, Irvine and others.

According to the Campaign for College Opportunity report issued yesterday, The State of Latinos in Higher Education in California, more than half of the children attending public schools in California are Latino. In the SAUSD, 95 percent of the students are Latino. In a few years, Latinos will comprise almost half of the college-age population; however, they are critically underrepresented in the California’s four-year universities. Too few Latino students meet the requirements for admission into a public four-year university and too few earn a degree, certificate, or successfully transfer from community college.

70 percent of Latino first-time freshmen that enroll in a California public college or university begin at a community college. In a recent report, only two in ten of these students completed within six years statewide. According to the Campaign for College Opportunity, “The combination of low college enrollment and low completion rates spells disaster for Latinos and the California economy precisely at a time when the state is projected to have a shortage of one million trained workers with baccalaureate degrees.”

HOW

In 2011, Santa Ana ¡Adelante! was selected by the Lumina Foundation for funding to support the Santa Ana Partnership’s work to increase college completion of Latino students.  The Lumina Foundation has invested $600,000 over a four-year period to support the efforts of Santa Ana ¡Adelante!

About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which will turn 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 13,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more.

About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation, an Indianapolis-based private foundation, is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college - especially 21st century students: low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners. Lumina’s goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina pursues Goal 2025 in three ways: by identifying and supporting effective practice, through public policy advocacy, and by using our communications and convening power to build public will for change. For more information, log on to www.luminafoundation.org.

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