Teens are Now Ready for College
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Transcript of Teens are Now Ready for College
Contact: Ava Steaffens, President/CEO KidWorks Community Development Corporation (714) 834-9400 X103, [email protected]
For Immediate Release May 24, 2012
KidWorks Academic Programs Empower
Six At-Risk Santa Ana Youth to Graduate from Mater Dei High School
Teens are Now Ready for College
SANTA ANA, Calif. – KidWorks, a Santa Ana-based non-profit that serves at-risk
children and teens, today announced that six youth in its programs have
successfully graduated from Mater Dei High School, a private Catholic high
school, also located in Santa Ana. This is the largest number of teens in
KidWorks programs to ever have graduated from Mater Dei, known for its
demanding academic standards tailored to help students succeed in high school
and beyond.
All six graduating KidWorks students have also been accepted by leading
colleges or universities, and will begin pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in
September.
“Kids growing up in the at-risk, low-income communities of central Santa Ana are
not being prepared to enter college,” said Ava Steaffens, KidWorks’ President &
Chief Executive Officer. “Schools in Santa Ana rank last in the Academic
Performance Index for Orange County and only 20 percent of students are taking
college preparation courses in high school. KidWorks’ academic and leadership
development programs focus on preschool age children on up to encourage
them to finish high school, earn an advanced academic degree, and to be
contributing members of society. We are delighted that for the past two years
100 percent of KidWorks’ students complete high school, and 74 percent go on
to attend a college or university.”
KidWorks has partnered with Mater Dei for six years to provide access to a solid
education for impoverished youth in the city. KidWorks “Mater Dei Scholars
Fund” relies on individual, corporate and foundation donations to provide $6,000
of the $12,000 annual tuition cost per student, with Mater Dei matching the
remaining $6,000.
"Mater Dei High School is honored to have a partnership with KidWorks, which
does such outstanding work in reaching out to children and families in need. We
are so proud of the six KidWorks students who are graduating from MDHS this
year and who are going on to higher education. These students now have a
brighter future due to KidWorks and its partnership with Mater Dei High School."
The youth in KidWorks programs who will receive their Mater Dei diplomas at
graduation ceremonies in May are Betty Garcia, Danny Torres, Fritzi Valladares,
Javier Morales, Julia Hernandez, and Xitlally Sanchez.
“I will be a first generation college student from my family, and KidWorks
prepared me for this goal ever since I began attending their programs in
kindergarten,” said Xitlally Sanchez, 18, who has been accepted at Scripps
College, a member of the Claremont Schools. “I am so grateful to have the
support of Mater Dei and KidWorks throughout my high school years.”
“Attending Mater Dei is an opportunity I never could have imagined for myself,”
said Betty Garcia, 19, who has been accepted at Azusa Pacific University, where
she will major in communications and media. “Those who sponsored my tuition
put their trust in students like me, and truly care about our lives.”
About KidWorks
KidWorks mission is to restore at-risk neighborhoods one life at a time by
improving the education and sustainability prospects for children and youth living
in central Orange County’s Santa Ana. KidWorks was founded in 1993 and
incorporated in 2002 as a public benefit organization for underprivileged children
and their families providing preschool programs, after-school tutoring, youth
mentoring, adult education services and leadership development programs.
About Mater Dei
Established in 1950, Mater Dei High School is a diocesan Catholic high school
that recognizes each student as a gift from God. We are dedicated to the
development of the whole person: spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional and
aesthetic. Each of our students are challenged by a college preparatory
curriculum and encouraged to reach his/her full potential through extensive co-
curricular and extra-curricular programs. Mater Dei has established a tradition of
excellence with 99% of our graduating seniors going on to college each year.