Here’s how college students in the Valley can get $10,000
More than 500 low-income college students in the Central Valley – from Stockton to Bakersfield – are eligible to get $10,000 for community service under the state’s new program that aims to help students – including DREAMERS - graduate from college on time and with less debt.
California for All College Corps is the largest state-level investment in California that will provide up to 6,500 college students over two academic years with service opportunities in critical issue areas such as climate action, K-12 education, and COVID-19 recovery.
The students who complete a year of service – 450 hours - will receive $10,000 while gaining experience serving in their communities. That translates to a $7,000 living allowance and a $3,000 education award.
Also, the program creates, for the first time, state-funded opportunities for AB 540 eligible Dreamers to serve their communities.
“We have 45 universities across the state, and we have several universities in the Central Valley that are participating,” said Josh Fryday, California’s chief service officer. He said the number of students participating over the next two years would make California’s college corps roughly the same size as the entire Peace Corps.
“It’s a significant investment by the governor and Legislature into really creating these opportunities for young people to help them pay for school while also giving back to the community”, Fryday said.
The 45 colleges and universities – representing the University of California, California State University, community college and private university systems - that were selected as inaugural partners for the service-based college opportunity program includes UC Merced, Stanislaus State, CSU Bakersfield, Fresno State, Fresno City College and University of the Pacific in Stockton.
Here is the breakdown – grant amount and number of participants - for those campuses:
▪ Fresno State and Fresno City College: $2,100,000; 120 fellows, including 24 Dreamers
▪ UC Merced: $1,800,000; 100 fellows, 15 Dreamers
▪ Stanislaus State: $1,741,395; 100 fellows, 10 Dreamers
▪ CSU Bakersfield: $1,799,351; 100 fellows, 50 Dreamers
▪ University of the Pacific: $1,720,594; 100 fellows.
The applications are open for the first cohort of students, who can apply to the program through their participating college. The student recruitment campaign started in April and will end in June.
To apply, students must be full-time and enrolled in the participating colleges for the 2022-23 year and be in good academic standing. Students will be selected over the summer and the program will start in the fall.
UC Merced, Stanislaus State and University of the Pacific were three of only eight universities that were part of the initial pilot program launched in 2020, in which students signed up as AmeriCorps Fellows, a federal program.
“We’ve already seen some great success,” said Charles Nies, vice chancellor of student affairs at UC Merced. “It was a great program, a great pilot and a great way to test it out. We’re really excited to have the opportunity to expand the program and to increase the number of our students able to participate up to 100 students each year.”
“For us, it’s part of the way that students have access to do this kind of volunteer work but still create some financial benefits for them that in decreases their need to rely on loans to cover any financial gaps that may exist in their education expenses, and so huge win for our students to close some of those financial gaps,” Nies said.
Nies said another win for the university is the relationship with the community.
“The opportunity for the university to help provide some additional resources and supporting the good work that’s happening in our communities,” Nies said.
The students are going to be doing meaningful work, Fryday said.
Edie Sparks, vice provost for undergraduate education at University of the Pacific, said the college service program provides college students with myriad benefits.
“We know that community engaged learning is one of the richest experiences of learning opportunities for students,” Sparks said. “Students learn a great deal about themselves. And of course, about solving real world problems from community leaders who are the experts on that.”
Sparks said during the pilot program the first year 10 students took part while in the second year it was expanded to 27 students and now the program will benefit 100 students for the forthcoming school year.
“Students really get the experience of what it’s like to work in a professional setting. Everything from time management to problem solving to taking initiative, figuring out how to apply what they’re learning in the classroom to a real-world job setting,” Sparks said. “Our students have also reported that that’s one of the significant benefits of participating and some of them have been offered employment already by the nonprofit organizations that they have served as fellows in the program.”
Miriam Ureno Moreno, program director for the Stanislaus State College Corps, said they are transitioning into the new program but will still focus on the experience of the students who are participating, from ensuring that students have the support not only with getting involved in the community, but also developing leadership skills, developing team skills, team, and also having a space for students to think about their career development.
Ureno Moreno said the California for All program is going to have different levels of participation, with students also able to participate at the state level where they can come together and get trained from the program.
There will also be collaboration at the regional level between the colleges and universities in each of the eight regions.
Ureno Moreno said they will be working with UC Merced, Fresno State and CSU Bakersfield and Fresno City College to come together where students in the program to interact with each other so they can “see themselves as being part of something bigger.”
“We’re really excited because there has never been anything like this before,” Ureno Moreno said.
Who is eligible to apply?
The minimum eligibility criteria:
▪ Full-time, enrolled undergraduate student at a College Corps partner campus
▪ Has a high school diploma or its equivalent by August 2022
▪ Must currently be and remain in good academic standing
▪ Ability to commit to the program for the full academic year
▪ Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, legal permanent resident or AB 540 Eligible Dreamer (see below)
Eligible students should meet at least one of the following four criteria: Qualifies for a federal Pell Grant; Qualifies for State Cal Grant; Qualifies for Middle Class Scholarship; Needs to work part-time and/or borrow student loans to meet educational costs
Undocumented student who is an AB-540 eligible Dreamer and a Cal Grant B recipient is eligible for the program.
