Grantee Spotlight

Making College Stick for California Latino Students:

The Inland Empire Scholarship and Support Services Program

How do you help low-income and first-generation Latino students to not just reach college but also complete their education?  The answer lies in doing more than just providing them with financial aid.  It involves making sure they have the advising and community support they need to stay motivated, maneuver through university life, and grow as people, leaders, and scholars.

The Inland Empire Scholarship and Support Services Program, an innovative collaboration between the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) and two California public universities, is attempting to do just that.  With a grant from College Access Foundation of California, the program offers four-year scholarships of $3,000 per year –– plus critical academic support services –– to 25 students at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), and the University of California, Riverside (UCR).  HSF plays a critical role in the program, selecting the students through a carefully constructed competitive process.

“A typical scholarship gives you money and wishes you the best of luck.  We are working with these students to ensure they maintain high GPAs and graduate,” says Juan Regalado, CSUSB Associate Director of Residential Education, who interacts closely with the Inland Empire Program students on his campus.  He and his counterpart, Estella Acuna, director of Chicano Student Programs at UCR, are passionate about helping scholarship recipients take advantage of academic resources, probe career paths, connect with peers, participate in cultural events, and consider internship opportunities.  They also work with parents to help them overcome fears and concerns that can sometimes affect families whose children take the pioneering step into the new world of university life.

Salvador Viorato, a business major at CSUSB, expresses just how critical such academic services have been to his college experience.  “I feel prepared for any challenges coming my way because I know I’ll have the support to overcome them,” he says with a sense of confidence.  Janet Hernandez, a first year student at UCR who is interested in a degree in media and cultural studies, echoes that she is enormously relieved to know she does not have to navigate the sometimes intimidating university environment herself.  “The Chicano Student Program does an excellent job of providing answers and opening new windows,” she says.

For students in the Inland Empire Program, the scholarship money has been equally important, greatly easing the financial burden and, in some cases, allowing them to live on campus or take on work study instead of outside jobs –– factors that program administrators anticipate will also reduce attrition. “When students are more fully integrated into campus life, their academic outcomes are better,” notes Tamara Moore, the Foundation program officer who manages the Inland Empire grant. 

“The Inland Empire Scholarship has not only allowed me to live on campus but it has introduced me to outstanding people and friends,” affirms Cristina Araujo, a CSUSB nursing major. “As a freshman, being in a totally different environment and meeting new people was challenging. Being part of a group of scholars has really helped me adjust.”

A second cohort of 25 scholarship recipients will enter CSUSB and UCR this fall. Looking to the future, Tamara Moore says, “We expect this program will yield important lessons that can be helpful to other universities, even in this resource-strapped economy.”

For more information on The Inland Empire Scholarship and Support Services Program, click here.

For more information on College Access Foundation grants, visit our Grants page. To read more College Access Foundation grantee spotlights, visit our Spotlight Archive.