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4 LA colleges get $6M grants to support Latinos in STEM
Four Los Angeles community colleges have received multimillion-dollar grants from the federal government to support Latino students looking for STEM careers.
The five-year $6 million grants from the U.S. Department of Education go to Los Angeles City College, East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Harbor College and Los Angeles Valley College, for programs supporting science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.
The grants were only available to colleges that serve students with majority Latino populations, according to Scott Svonkin, who heads the L.A. Community College District’s Board of Trustees.
LACCD is the largest college district in the nation with nine schools serving 250,000 students. The district says 80 percent of its students come from historically underserved populations, and Svonkin said the majority of the district's students are Latino.
“Our students are probably the most deserving population you can find anywhere in California or the country,” Svonkin told KPCC. “These are people that weren’t born with silver spoons in their mouths, that worked hard for everything they’ve gotten and are planning to work hard to make sure that they can provide for their family and make the community a better place.”
The programs at each school are designed to help students in STEM fields transition from high school to college or from college into careers.
At ELAC, the Jardin de STEM Project includes an Acquaponics lab to help teach the biology, chemistry and physics of food science, according to a statement from the district. After two years of course work, students will participate in research at major laboratories in the area.
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L.A. City College’s STEM Pathways Program aims to create a transfer culture starting in high school through a dedicated learning center, study groups, early undergraduate research opportunities and more exposure to STEM activities.
Harbor College’s STEM STEP (Success, Transfer and Equity Program) will establish an alumni association to connect those working in STEM-related careers with current students. It will also create a $100,000 endowment specifically to support students.
Valley College’s Promoting Awareness of STEM Opportunities (PASO) aims to attract more Latino students and boost degree completion through academic advising and mentoring, redesigned courses and a STEM summer camp.
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