Congratulations to Richard Nguyen, who was awarded the Ozzie Day Scholarship for Fall 2022 at an award ceremony on December 7th, 2022. Richard grew up in East Oakland and his dad, Duc Nguyen, took classes from the College of Alameda Automotive Technology (ATECH) program when Duc first immigrated to the USA thirty years ago. Richard decided to follow in his dad's footsteps after graduating from high school in Oakland. Ever since his first ATECH class, he's been a straight-A student in the COA ATECH program. He expects to graduate from the Auto program next June and get a job as a technician at a local dealership.
In an April issue of Gems, it was announced that the Peralta Colleges Foundation in partnership with The PepsiCo Foundation launched the Uplift Scholarship program to support our most underserved students of The Peralta Colleges, who are pursuing two-year degrees and professional certificate programs. In addition, to financial assistance, the program provides students with dedicated success coaches, access to emergency grants, and financial literacy courses. The PepsiCo Foundation’s Uplift Scholarship is currently offered at 20 community colleges across the country with the goal of providing 4,000 scholarships over five years. What’s more, the PepsiCo Foundation's Community College Program is a cornerstone effort of PepsiCo's more than $570 million Racial Equality Journey, a comprehensive initiative to support marginalized and historically underserved communities, people, and businesses.
On Friday, April 29, 2022, Berkeley City College President Angélica Garcia hosted a Fireside Chat as part of the Peralta Colleges Foundation Distinguished Leaders Community Conversations series. The event was titled BCC’s Vision for Equitable Education for All, focusing on BCC’s mission to provide quality education for all who come through our doors, regardless of ethnicity, financial restraints, or life circumstances; and examining BCC’s challenges and goals for achieving this mission. Berkeley City College thanks the Peralta Colleges Foundation Executive Director LaNiece Jones for organizing, and PCF board member Tasion Kwamilele for moderating the event.
To view a recording of the presentation on the Peralta Colleges YouTube channel, click here. To view the presentation slides as a pdf, click here.
LaNiece Jones, Executive Director of the Peralta Colleges Foundation, is busy - very busy - raising money to help financially support students in the Peralta Community College District. As I write this article, she is extraordinarily focused on preparations for the Foundation's major fundraising event of the spring, the Dr. William "Bill" Riley Golf Tournament which will take place at Sequoyah Country Club on Monday, May 23, 2022. Visit https://pcfwbrgolftournament2022.funraise.org/ to sign up to participate or to donate. The last PCF golf tournament, on a chilly day in December, raised over $100,000 for student scholarships. We depend upon the generosity of our community and hope you can join us in person or at least make a donation!
Today, Peralta Colleges Foundation and The PepsiCo Foundation announced the launch of the Uplift Scholarship program to support our most underserved students of the Peralta Colleges consisting of Laney College, Merritt College, College of Alameda, and Berkeley City College, who are pursuing two-year degrees and professional certificate programs. In addition, to financial assistance, the program provides students with dedicated success coaches, access to emergency grants, and financial literacy courses.
On Monday, December 6, 2021, the Peralta Colleges Foundation revived its annual golf tournament and this year titled the tournament after Peralta’s long serving retired board trustee Dr. William “Bill” Riley.
Sohail Ali was awarded the Ozzie Day Scholarship today for Fall, 2021. Sohail has been attending the College of Alameda for four years, and will complete his Associate of Science degree in Automotive Technology next semester. He says that he’s majoring in Automotive Technology because he “loves to fix things.” Sohail is currently attending college full-time, while--at the same time--working part-time at an independent repair shop in San Francisco. iH His goal is to become a certified Master tech, specializing in Engine Performance.
On Thursday, March 25, 2021, the Peralta Colleges Foundation held a virtual event and auction March Madness: Race Toward Building Careers. The incredibly successful event raised $30,000 to be used for student scholarships.
Dear Peralta Community,I’ve been reading a book entitled, The Alchemist. It’s by Paulo Coelho, an author from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a really wonderful book. Here is a quote from the inside cover: "This enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a [fortune teller], a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles in his path. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.” |
