Giving Tuesday: Alondra’s College Dream
“When Someone Is There Who Cares…”
Preparing for life after high school can be a lonely, daunting experience for bright students like Alondra, who live in one of the many resource-challenged communities of Southern California today.
Too often, without adequate resources at home and school, they fall through the cracks. Who can they count on?
“Many students are too shy in school to feel safe in asking for help,” said Alondra, a student now in her senior year at Barstow High School. “So many of us don’t know where to turn for information and resources to take the next step in pursuing our education and future career options.
“When people like Patty and Kenia from EXP take an interest in your career, you feel like someone cares and knows how to help, and it makes a big difference. They make you feel safe in asking for help,” said Alondra. “You feel supported enough to ask any question and they will give you the answer you need. If you don’t know something, they’ll find ‘the somebody or something’ to help you, because they really care about you.”
With your support, EXP can continue to make a life-changing difference for each one of them.
Our EXP program managers, like Patty and Kenia, help students chart their career path options, provide them with opportunities to learn about college and career training choices. Their caring guidance helps them identify resources and instills the confidence and encouragement they need to pursue career and education opportunities they didn’t dream were open to them.
“I feel, definitely, if EXP was not around I would have problems finding a career path and opening my horizons to different options,” said Alondra. “Kenia helped me with the forms I needed to apply for college. I told her I didn’t think I could apply for college. She said ‘no, I am going to help you.’ Within an hour, she made sure I had the right forms. With her guidance, I ultimately applied to four colleges.”
With a 3.96 GPA, and an interest in pursuing a career path that combines her love for education and agriculture, Alondra is now focused on getting into California State University, Fresno.
When you donate to EXP, you give more high school students real opportunities to succeed.
“If more people knew how helpful EXP is to students, more young people like me could find their career path,” added Alondra.
Your donation to EXP this Holiday Season will help us continue to provide opportunities to students like Alondra and her classmates to find their passion and strive to reach their personal potentials. Your support will help them develop career skills and receive life-changing high school internship experiences. Your investment will help us inspire students to pursue what they didn’t think was possible for themselves.
Your tax deductible gift will benefit EXP students across all of the Southern California communities we serve – from the L.A. Harbor to Barstow. They deserve to dream big!
Please give generously. Every dollar of support matters today.
A gift of any amount will help EXP change the lives and career futures of under-served high school youth in Southern California.
Here are just a few examples of the power of your support.
$2,000 can provide 50 students access to one of EXP's virtual or in-person career awareness experiences, such as GPS Your Future.
$1,000 can fund college or career scholarships for two EXP students.
$200 can cover the cost for 5 students to attend a virtual or in-person Industry Coaching session.
$120 can cover the cost for one student to attend a virtual or in-person Women in STEM Career Day Event, or a job-shadow experience.
$40 can cover the cost for one student to attend an Industry Coaching session.