Foundation Makes College a Closer Destination

Even after five full school days of classes and homework, students and parents packed into the this afternoon to learn more about college scholarship opportunities. The Bay Area Gardeners Foundation (BAGF) organized a seminar of community speakers who conveyed the importance of a college education followed by a presentation of scholarship application information.

In a burgeoning global economy, going to college no longer seems optional if students want to stay competitive in the job market, said BAGF co-Vice President Isabel Jimenez. Yet while the flexibility of post-high school opportunities shrink, the cost of attending college only seems to be rising.

“Not going to college isn’t an option anymore,” Jimenez said. “And BAGF makes this decision easier by providing scholarships.

Cañada College Interim Dean of Student Services Margie Carrington demystified the often complicated financial aid application process, defining everything from FAFSA (Federal Application for Federal Student Aid) to the differences between community colleges, two-year and four-year institutions.

“If you look at the price of a textbook nowadays, it’ll make you stop breathing,” Carrington said. “But Cañada College and other schools have great rental programs.”

The Bay Area Gardeners Foundation was founded in 2004 by Catalino Tapia, a parent who wanted to ease the path to college graduation for other students, according to BAGF Executive Director Tammie Pereira. He gathered a group of gardeners together and encouraged them to ask their clients for donations. In 2006, they began offering five scholarships. That number almost quadrupled the following year to 19 scholarships. Then the foundation has consistently offered 20 $1500 scholarships every year since then.

The Foundation still receives private donor money and grants from larger corporations. BAGF also offers two $1000 scholarships for books through the Cheyita scholarships, donated by Claude McRoskey who wished to share his mother’s love of books.

“From word of mouth, the money just started rolling in,” Pereira said. “But we could always use more to continue offering scholarships.”

Jimenez, a parent of an MIT-bound student herself, cited the importance of a parent’s involvement in the college application process.

“We’ve got to get parents involved,” she said. “We’re started to get them thinking about college when their kids are even in middle school.”

Summit Prep parent David Corrales was in attendance on his own.

“My son knows all this information, but I need to do some catching up,” he said.

And the gamut of students ranged from high schoolers to those wishing to pursue higher level of education. Roberto Regalado, Jr., 36, is a substitute teacher and counselor at Migrant Youth Program in the Sequoia Union High School District. Though he received his Bachelors degree in Advertising from San Jose State University, he said he wants to return for his Masters in Counseling and Education.

“I feel like I’ve now found my path and I want to advance myself,” he said. “By going back to school, I can send a message to the kids I mentor that it’s never too late to pursue more education.”

Applications are due April 4 at 5 p.m. to P.O. Box 3446, Redwood City, CA, 94064, and are available at www.bagf.org and also attached here.