POE SF Peninsula Awards 38 Scholarships

Palo Alto, CA – June 6, 2017 – Today Pursuit of Excellence Scholarship Foundation for the San Francisco Peninsula (poescholarships.org) announced that 38 students from San Mateo and Santa Clara County schools have been awarded scholarships to fund their college journeys.  POE is a 100% volunteer organization committed to supporting low-income students who are heading to college.  Since the organization’s Palo Alto, CA founding in 1984 over 500 students’ college careers have been supported with more than $4 million in scholarships.

            A total of $700,000 of funds were donated to POE for the 2017-2018 school year.  This year’s new scholarship recipients include students from Los Altos, Woodside, Gunn, Summit, Paly, Menlo-Atherton, East Palo Alto Academy, Sequoia, Everest high schools.  Moreover, for the first time this year, POE has established a program to fund Community College students who are transferring to four-year schools.  Each student receives support for all their remaining college years and a member of the POE volunteer force acts as a mentor to each student.  Including these new scholars, POE SF Peninsula is currently funding 163 students simultaneously.

            “Many very promising students see college as their path,” said Carol Mullin, POE president. “But if they come from a low-income background, the gap between what they can afford and their costs can be too big.  Our goal is to help them realize their dreams.  Every year, when I read applications, I continue to be inspired our students’ stories.”

            The requirements for a high-school POE Scholar are: Students must graduate from high school in good standing planning to attend a 4-year university or a community college and then transfer to a 4-year institution. Only low-income students are considered for this scholarship program. A typical recipient’s family income does not exceed $60,000, although special circumstances can create exceptions to this guideline. Preference is given to students who have worked during their high school years.

            This year’s charter Community College graduates are similar. The target is to help students from a low-income background who have excelled in community college and are attending a University of California campus.  However, again, some exceptions can be made as appropriate.

            In addition to the San Francisco Peninsula branch of POE, small branches are also in San Jose, CA and in the mid-Atlantic and each have provided scholarships to five new students this year.

For more information, POE programs, history and examples of POE Scholars, go to POEscholarships.org. For information about this years’ recipients, contact press@poescholarships.org.

About POE

The Pursuit of Excellence scholarship foundation (poescholarships.org) provides support to low income, hard-working students, helping them fulfill their dreams of earning a college degree.  Typically, each student receives $500-$6000 for each year he or she remains in good standing in college.  Each student works with an individual volunteer mentor to help them navigate through new situations they encounter in college.  Founded in 1984, POE has helped over 500 students attend college to date.  The organization is 100% volunteer run and funded.  For more information about POE, its students, programs, and history, see www.poescholarships.org.