Opportunity scholarships

Chemistry students Dram Pham and Kevin Fulmer prepare for a test with Santa Ana College professor Jeff McMillan. McMillan and about a dozen faculty and staff at Santa Ana College have started a scholarship fund that they hope will make it easier for low-income students to afford their classes. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 8:58 AM PT

Chemistry students Ana Vielman, Debbie Ballesteros and Aminah Lowery prepare to take a test in McMillan’s class. A counselor at the college said that as students add up what theyll have to spend on textbooks and course fees, class sizes drop. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times)

Santa Ana College chemistry student Gabriel Gonzalez looks over his notes. Competing priorities affect many low-income students, especially Latinos, who make up about half of the 25,000 students at Santa Ana College. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times)