Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2017-2018 | Página 80

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Success story
A F uture
so Bright
FUTURE BY Robin Epley PHOTO: Ken James
SACRAMENTO onica Sandoval (pictured
left) is 24 years old and has
just earned her graduate
degree in early childhood
development from Pacific
Oaks College in Pasadena. Two years
ago, she received her B.A. in child de-
velopment from Whittier College in
Los Angeles. But when she was in 9th
grade, living in Oak Park and attend-
ing Sacramento High School, Sando-
val never thought she’d even be able
to attend college, and if she did, she’d
have to stay close to home — her fami-
ly simply couldn’t afford to send her to
a university far away.
“Coming from a very tradition-
al, Mexican background, my parents
didn’t have the advantage to go to col-
lege,” Sandoval says. And she says they
were upfront about her options. San-
doval says she thought she’d be lucky
to attend Sacramento State or a local
community college, if she was able to
go at all.
PAVES THE WAY
FOR LOW-INCOME
STUDENTS TO
ATTEND AND
SUCCEED IN
COLLEGE
p h oto : co u rt e sy o f f u t u r e s ac r a m e n to
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But when she was 14, in 2006, her
school counselor told her about a new
program called Future Sacramento
(formerly known as Future Foundation
of Sacramento). If she was accepted in
their first class of students that year,
Sandoval would be given a needs-
based scholarship that would pay up
to $5,000 a year. She would also re-
ceive mentorship for the length of her
education; help finding other scholar-
ships, grants and funding; assistance
with school paperwork and with find-
ing lodging and paying for textbooks.
Upon receiving her bachelor’s de-
gree in 2014, Sandoval became Future
Sacramento’s first student to complete
the program and graduate college.
“When students have the ability to
overcome their obstacles, that’s when
they succeed,” says Future Sacra-
mento’s executive director, Elizabeth
Marlow. She says the funding means
more than just money to the students,
it also “relieves a pressure and gives