Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez to Present
Certificate of Congressional Recognition on November 1

WHAT

Santa Ana College (SAC) is hosting a visit to the college by Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez on Thursday, November 1 at 3:00 p.m. in its Veterans Resource Center. Congresswoman Sanchez will present the college with a certificate of Congressional Recognition in acknowledgement of the college’s services to its veteran students and the new services that will be made possible by this grant. The college was recently awarded $250,000 annually in a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education for its Veteran Upward Bound (VUB) program. The funds will help military veterans develop the academic skills needed to succeed in college-level courses. SAC will provide extensive academic and support services to ensure that participants complete the pre-college program in six to 12 months, emerge college-ready, enroll in post-secondary education and eventually complete a degree. The SAC VUB grant is one of two VUB grants awarded in California. It is the only grant made to a community college in the state.

WHERE

Veterans Resource Center
Santa Ana College
Building R-101
1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, CA 92706
Parking for the media is available in the parking lot 3 adjacent to the Administration Building.

WHEN

Thursday, November 1, 2012
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHO

In addition to Congresswoman Sanchez, the following educational leaders will participate:

• Ryan Ahari, Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) student trustee
• Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D., Santa Ana College president
• Mark McLoughlin, RSCCD Board of Trustees vice president
• Loy Nashua, Santa Ana College associate dean of student development
• Maureen Robles, Orange County Health Care Agency Behavioral Health Services veteran services coordinator
• Raúl Rodríguez, Ph.D., RSCCD chancellor
• Dawn Valencia, California State University, Fullerton director of university outreach/veteran certification

The SAC Veterans Upward Bound program community partners include the Orange County Veterans Services Office; the Orange County Health Care Agency; California State University, Fullerton; and the University of California, Irvine.

WHY

SAC Veterans Upward Bound will provide services in Orange County—an area with
131,275 veterans, of whom 6,785 are low-income, 5,382 do not have a high school diploma, and 60 percent do not have a college degree. Last year, there were 502 veterans enrolled in classes at SAC.

HOW

The SAC Veterans Upward Bound program will provide the following services:

• Familiarity with the college environment and enrollment processes to facilitate the transition into and through post-secondary education.
• College and career planning workshops featuring career exploration
• SAT/ACT test preparation
• College, financial aid, and scholarships application development and submission assistance
• Access to a veterans benefit advisor to inform VUB participants of the benefits they are eligible for and to strategically plan the use of those benefits
• Gatherings to engage veterans and their families in the student’s educational journey

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