San Jose State, Class of 2017

Although the 4 year graduation rate for first generation students at San Jose State is less than 7%, Luna graduated from San Jose State in 4 years with a major in psychology and a minor in business. While in college she worked about 20 hours a week and graduated with a 3.7 GPA. She is currently working at Skadden law firm in Palo Alto and following her dream to go to law school.

Old Dominion University, 2016
Wakefield High School 2012

"As an 18-year-old, I had no idea that walking into my interview for the POE scholarship would have such a fantastic outcome on my life for the years to come. After much uncertainty, by choosing to go to my interview, I was able to not only provide a relief on my parents financially but I also gained a mentor that I’ve confided in since I graduated high school."

California Polytechnic University, Class of 2017
SRI International, Medicinal Chemistry Research Associate
Woodside High School, Class of 2013

"A wise man once said: 'You cannot master the rest of your life today, so master each day, and you will be one step closer to accomplishing your dreams.' This was really my driving force in school. Starting off, I had no idea how I would pay for college, all of the work that would go into obtaining my education and starting a career, and the responsibility that would come with it all. Four years later, I am proud to call myself a college graduate."

UC Berkeley, Class of 2019
Los Altos High School 2015

"It was not the color of my skin that made me feel different from my classmates; it was the world I came from. They came from a world of wholesome meals and leafy greens; I came from a world of top ramen and easy mac. They came from a world where everyone had their own bed; I came from a world where six people squeezed into just one."

Chico State, Class of 2018
Majoring in Social Work with a minor in Child Development
East Palo Alto Academy 2013

"I was surrounded by criminals, but they all taught me things, they all showed me things that a teacher could never teach me. Drug dealers taught me how to read people. I developed a capability to empathize with people. I never saw myself going to college, I rarely went to school."

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2016
Double major in Criminology and Psychology
Wakefield High School 2010

"I am motivated by being the first not to get pregnant at a young age, the first to graduate from high school with an advanced diploma, the first to go to college and get a degree and the first to make a change in the Thomas family." With extra financial support from POE, Ashley made the Dean's List her senior year and is following her dream of becoming a forensic psychologist.

San Francisco State, Class of 2007
Software Engineer at OpenDNS (now part of Cisco)
Carlmont High School 1999

"We not only received scholarships to further our education, but we also gained an extended family.” To escape the violent civil war in Sierra Leone, Dominic’s mother sent him and his brother to live in East Palo Alto when he was 11 years old. “When my brother and I immigrated to the States, we left behind our mother, grandmother, family, and friends."

UC Santa Cruz, Class of 2016
Audit Associate at KPMG
Woodside High School 2012

"The financial help from POE is amazing, but the greatest thing about POE is their mentoring. My parents do not have an understanding of what I am going through right now, so it was such a relief to be able to talk to someone that has experience in what I am going through."

UC Santa Cruz, Class of 2015
Special Projects Consultant for Mission Neighborhoods Center, on the boards of Vision SF and SF Young Democrats
Palo Alto High School 2010

"Poverty can cripple, creating unbelievable hurdles for millions of people trying to survive and make ends meet. My personal challenges growing up have compelled me to excel in college, though I have been incredibly fortunate to receive substantial help in the process. I have learned the significant difference that a strong education can make to empower people and create upward social and economic mobility."

UCLA, Class of 2013
Currently in graduate school for Nursing at UCLA
Woodside High School 2009

"There are two types of people in this world: those who throw in the towel and those who hang on and rise above.”

Sacramento State, Class of 2018
Majoring in Organizational Communications and Sociology
Sequoia High School 2013

"I will be the first in my family to pursue higher education at a 4-year university and I know my resilient, outspoken, leadership nature will only aid me in this unfamiliar path full of future ambitions and accomplishments."

San Francisco State, Class of 2013
Program Manager at Stanford
University of San Francisco Law School, Class of 2019
Sequoia High School 2009

"I was able to truly focus on my studies without distractions because POE helped me financially. As a result, my family and I no longer had the burden of financing my college education. Beyond its financial support, POE provided me essential counseling services. As a freshman, college can be so confusing and even overwhelming at times. I loved that I met with my mentor quarterly. "

UC Merced, Class of 2013
Program Coordinator at Electronic Arts
Menlo-Atherton High School 2009

"Being a POE recipient didn't only mean that college would be a bit more affordable, it also meant that the sponsors truly believed in my success. I owed POE the same thing I owed my family - a college degree."