"Peninsula College Fund Announces 2013 Scholarship Recipients and College Graduates," Press Release (May 29, 2013). Event June 18, 2013, Sacred Heart Preparatory School, Atherton, CA. RSVP at http://paperless.ly/14SPBLI

Legendary folk singer Joan Baez shared reflections with scholars Laura, Lisette, Manny, Tania, Melissa, and Jessica before performing to a crowd of almost 600 at the Peninsula College Fund benefit concert on March 2, 2013:




The Huffington Post named The Peninsula College Fund one of The Top 10 Local Children's Nonprofits of the Month (November 7, 2012).

"Peninsula College Fund Names Catherine Crystal Foster Executive Director; Positions Organization for Growth," Press Release (September 11, 2012)

Scholars Boost Skills and Form Bonds at College Success Weekend (August 11-12, 2012)

More than 50 new and current PCF scholars gathered for the fifth annual College Success Weekend on the campus of Notre Dame du Namur University on August 11-12 to hear from professors and university leaders, gain tools for college success, and strengthen connections to supportive peers.
The 14 students who will be starting college immersed themselves in a weekend of practical skill building to meet the challenges of the new college experience.  At the same time, the weekend enabled the freshmen to forge the friendships with each other and upper class students to build the support networks that will help them succeed in college.

All scholars in the program participated in expert-led workshops on financial aid, improving self-advocacy, coursework planning, and making decisions on their majors and careers.

Stanford professor Tomás Jiménez reminded the students to seek help when they need it and have the confidence to speak to their professors. But, he told them, they need to approach their education with a great sense of personal responsibility, “College is your job now.  Treat it like a job,” he said.

Alongside the serious work of college preparation, the weekend included plenty of time for team building, socializing and developing relationships that may last a lifetime.

NDNU has been a true partner with PCF in hosting these weekends by providing the facilities as well as speakers.  Our thanks to them for their support.

PCF Honors Graduates and New Scholars at Awards Ceremony

An enthusiastic crowd of over 175 family, friends, supporters, and PCF alumni welcomed 14 new scholars into the PCF family and honored four newly minted college graduates at the PCF Annual Awards Ceremony at Sacred Heart Prep on June 23.

Recent UC Santa Clara graduate Luis Pimentel spoke of the support his PCF mentors provided as he made his way through college, “They always said that they believed in me and that I would be ok. These words may sound cliché, but they really made a difference because for some reason after a lot of people tell you that ‘you can do it,’ they believe in you, or that ‘you’ll be ok,’ suddenly you start believing in yourself and then you notice yourself working harder and actually being ok.” He spoke of the inspiration he drew from his fellow PCF scholars, and offered words of wisdom to the incoming freshman. 

Karina Macias, heading to St Mary’s College, was among that talented group.  She expressed her excitement about college and about joining a community of PCF students.  “I look forward to the day that I can join the rest of the PCF alums … and give back to PCF a fraction of what it has given us,” she told the crowd.

We were also honored to hear the sage and inspirational words of Judge LaDoris Cordell, current Independent Auditor of the San Jose Police Department, who challenged all PCF scholars on the responsibility that comes with their achievements.

She exhorted the students to "be the Upstanders,” who stand up and speak up for justice, rather than sitting on the sidelines waiting for justice to happen.

Awards Day 2012 was again a day of recognizing achievements, renewing friendships and establishing new long-term relationships.

Buy your books at Keplers and help PCF
Buy all your books at Kepler’s in Menlo Park. As a new “community partner” with Kepler’s, PCF receives 10% of all purchases when you mention “Peninsula College Fund” at the time of purchase! This money will go directly to scholarship students! Use this link when making purchases.

2011 Career Success Day
Students were back to work the morning after the Holiday Party at PCF's Career Success Day.  Students had the opportunity to hear from expert career counselors, with sessions geared toward their grade level, as well as participate in one-on-one mock interviews.  Students also learned about the importance and art of writing Thank You letters, and put it into practice by writing notes to several PCF donors.  Thank you to our volunteers: Robin Royale, Dee Harris, Joe Connolly, Karen Canty, and Michelle Rodriguez, with special thanks to Tim Johnston, Marianne Adoradio, and Sandra Clark.  Thank you to Eastside College Prep for providing the facilities.

2011 Career Success Day: Students practicing interview skills

2011 Holiday Party
We hosted our annual Holiday Party on December 21st at Sacred Heart Preparatory.  Students and mentors had the opportunity to reunite with friends, enjoy a delicious meal, and listen to the beautiful music of Presentation High School's choir.  Students received biscotti, Thank Card cards and the book 365 Thank Yous as gifts.  Thank you to Fran Eastman, Sacred Heart Prep, Presentation's Jazz Choir and Hyperion for their generosity.

PCF students enjoyed catching up at the Holiday Party at Sacred Heart Prep

2011 College Success Weekend
Over 55 scholars attended PCF's first College Success Weekend, held August 13-14 on the Notre Dame de Namur (NDNU) campus in Belmont. The two-day event featured speakers and panels on a broad range of practical topics from goal setting and networking to financial planning and gender-specific challenges faced by college students. But the weekend wasn't all business. Interspersed among the rigorous schedule of seminars and speakers were various team-building activities designed to help the 15 new PCF scholars bond with the other students and build an  extensive support group to sustain them as they head off to their various colleges. The students especially enjoyed the opportunity to spend Saturday night in the dorms at NDNU. A great time was had by all, as they played video games, ping-pong, and yes, even musical chairs, "duck duck goose," and hide and go seek! PCF students learned, played, laughed, and came away more prepared to meet the challenges of college.

2011 Awards Ceremony:
PCF was pleased to welcome 15 new high school graduates to its scholarship program in a moving ceremony held June 18 at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton. With the addition of this class, PCF has awarded scholarships to a total of 67 students since it was founded six years ago. Representing six mid-Peninsula high schools, the 15 new PCF scholars are currently attending an impressive and diverse scholars group of colleges and universities, including Connecticut College, Mount Holyoke College, Occidental College, Santa Clara University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and others. The highlight of the evening was an address by Santa Clara University professor and internationally recognized author, Dr.Francisco Jimenez. Drawing upon his own experience growing up as a migrant farm worker, Francisco urged PCF scholars to view their financial and personal challenges as positives to "boost them up" as they continue their educational journeys. He also reminded students that, just as he was helped in achieving his dream, all of them have a responsibility to serve their community by giving back. The awards ceremony also featured inspirational speeches by current and new PCF scholars, including Manuel Castro, a recent graduate of UC Davis, who talked about the challenges of being a first-generation minority student, and Izamar Moya,a freshman at Connecticut College, who spoke about the importance of building a support group. A new video depicting the important work of PCF was also shown, adding the final touch to a ceremony that was filled with inspiration, motivation and even some tears.

Article in the Palo Alto Weekly about PCF
"Scholarship winners, grads, to be feted Saturday", Chris Kenrick, Palo Alto Weekly, June 16, 2011 Download PDF here

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