Stipend Helps Students Aim for College

Seventeen-year-old Isela Arias’ ears perked up last October during a school counselor’s lecture on college preparations.

Somewhere in the stressful discussion about the costs of admission exams and college applications, the woman mentioned an unusual new scholarship. It would provide $150 a month for underprivileged high school juniors in Santa Ana like herself who were determined to go to college.

Isela applied for the scholarship, recalling the endless teasing she had endured when her family arrived in Santa Ana from Mexico seven years ago and she struggled to learn English. She recalled her parents’ sacrifices to provide the basics for their six children.

“We always had the essential things,” she said. “But I know I can’t be more of a weight on them. I know that I have to figure out a way to help myself.”

This month, Isela and nine other high school juniors in the Santa Ana Unified School District will receive the first scholarship checks to help them focus on academics without the distraction of after-school jobs.

Financial aid experts say that, though countless scholarships exist for college-bound high school seniors, subsidizing younger students as they struggle toward higher education is unusual.

The benefactor is Newport Beach millionaire businessman Ron Simon, whose company constructs bathroom and kitchen counter tops for home builders. Simon said he was troubled that students from affluent families have an easier path to college than their poorer counterparts.

Money, he knew, bought students advantages such as private tutors, SAT-preparation classes and the luxury of not having to work.

He approached Santa Ana school administrators with the idea of leveling the playing field by supporting some of their promising students during their final two years of high school.

And with more than three-fourths of their 60,000 students poor enough to qualify for federal lunch subsidies, district officials leapt at the offer. Their high school students, said Supt. Al Mijares, often find it difficult to balance academics with the responsibility to assist their families.

“This is a special opportunity for some of our students who have the drive and ability to go to college but who may get caught up in the world of work.” Mijares said. “It’s a huge distraction. Everything suffers.”

More than 200 students applied for the financial assistance. The stipend recipients were chosen by counselors and teachers for their success in overcoming barriers while pursuing academic goals.

They will receive $150 each month during their junior year and are lent a laptop computer and printer. For their senior year, the stipend increases to $250.

When the students enter college, Simon said, he intends to pay “a significant part” of their tuitions but has not determined how much.

Students are expected to spend the money to promote academic achievement. They are required to meet with their school counselors to discuss options, but ultimately, Simon said, the students have the freedom to decide whether to buy the latest graphing calculator, pay an exam fee or contribute to their family’s grocery fund.

In return, juniors must maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average out of 4 and improve to a 3 by the start of their senior year. They cannot work more than 10 hours a week and must be eligible for the government’s meal subsidy program, which is pegged to the national poverty line.

Simon emphasized that, though several students selected this year were excelling in the classroom, the scholarship was not intended necessarily to assist the smartest students or those with the best grades.

Instead, he said, he wanted to help kids whose potential might otherwise go untapped.

“The hope is to catch kids before they give up and to give them a chance,” Simon said. “I want them to say, ‘I have a chance to go to college.’ ”

Like Isela, Antonio De Jesus fit the profile. The soft-spoken son of two factory workers wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to catch two public buses to get to Century High School.

After school, Antonio, who hopes to be a surgeon, participates in an occupational training program for students interested in medicine. In the evenings, he helps his arthritic mother, who irons at a clothing factory, with cooking and cleaning before starting his homework.

Antonio was considering taking a job before receiving the scholarship.

The money will help tremendously as he pursues plans to attend UC Irvine and medical school, he said.

“My parents earn minimum wage,” he said. “They wouldn’t be able to give me the money that the scholarship does.”

About half a million high school seniors and college undergraduates receive more than $1 billion from privately funded scholarships each year, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org. But Kantrowitz and other financial aid experts said they knew of few scholarships directed at high school juniors and applauded the idea.

“The further down into the high school experience that you grab hold of the students and get them to think about life after high school, the better,” said Jean Danielson, a director at the National Scholarship Providers Assn.

Stipends in a similar program for low-income Philadelphia students made a significant impact on their ability to succeed academically, said Davido Dupree, a member of a University of Pennsylvania-affiliated research team. The study also concluded that junior-year students took better advantage of the money than freshmen and sophomores.

Simon said he hoped to expand his scholarships to other Orange County districts and to sponsor 100 new students each year. For that to happen, he said, he expects each year’s recipients to mentor younger students and encourage them to apply.

Several in this inaugural year said they were eager to do so to help others -- and as a thank-you to their benefactor.

“It’s like a blessing,” said Ariana Lugo, another recipient. “It is going to make our lives easier.”