Institution San Antonio College State Texas Academic Level Associate Issue Area Access Website https://www.alamo.edu/sac/about-sac/college-offices/services-for-women-and-non-traditional-students/scholarships/ Key Personnel Mary Helen Vera Program Focus Parental/Family Engagement, Scholarship Overview Wanting to improve the rate of Latinos attending college, several members of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council #2 approached the Chancellor of the Alamo Community College District (ACCD) in 1997 to develop a program providing scholarships to two generations of Latino students: parents and their children. Since then, LULAC Council #2 has donated $25,000 annually to fund 25 scholarship endowments per year for the children of each new cycle of 25 recipients ($1,000 for each child). The child is "vested" in the program at the point his or her parent completes his or her educational objective (a certificate, Associate degree or the first two years of a transfer program to a four-year institution), making the child eligible to claim the scholarship upon high school graduation. The ACCD Foundation matches LULAC's donation with another $25,000 to fund scholarships for the program's adult participants ($1,000 for each person). To date, 189 students have achieved their educational objectives by completing a certificate, associate degree or the first half of a 2+2 transfer plan, thereby ensuring their children college educations when they graduate from high school. A total of 435 students have been accepted into the program, and LULAC has donated $435,000 to the scholarship endowment. Program Description LULAC's Parent/Child Program aspires to increase the college participation rates of both parents and children who are low-income and first-generation college students. Outcome Between 1997 and 2013: 43% of participants successfully completed the program Of those that pursue AA degrees, 86% have either received an Associate degrees or transferred into four-year academic programs. 18% have transferred to a four-year college or university. When the program compared their participants to non-program participants at San Antonio College, program participants were five times more likely to complete a certificate or Associate degree than non-participants - 23% compared to 4.2%. Additionally, of this comparison group, 17% have transferred to a four-year college or university compared to only 9.9% of San Antonio College's general student population. Fall to spring semester retention rates exceeded those of non-program participants by 30%, and fall to fall retention rates were 27% higher than those for non-program participants. Learn more about Latino College Completion in Texas Return to Growing What Works Database
