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Winter 2011
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Vol 1, Issue 1
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 Meet
2008 Scholar
Franklin Arriola-Guandique
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When we first met Franklin Arriola-Guandique, he was a senior
at Leadership High School and determined to be the first in his family
to attend college. He grew up in a neighborhood where, he says, he
witnessed "violence and hate between people because of what the
other had or because of the color of their skin." Franklin worked
hard in school. He had three jobs (including volunteering at the Boys
& Girls Club) and was focused on getting into college. In his
scholarship application he wrote, "Giving up is never an option
and that is something I bring with me everywhere."
Franklin is now a sophomore at San Jose State
University, intending to major in criminal justice, a school he chose
because of its very strong criminal justice department. He is
interested in this field because he likes "learning about the law and
being able to apply it. With that comes helping different people who
need help and have been entrapped in abuse and violence but are too
scared to do anything." Not one for idleness, Franklin studies
full-time, works as an armed security officer in Hunter's Point, and
commutes from San Francisco to San Jose to save on the cost of housing.
College has not been "easy street" for Franklin, and yet he
persists because of his determination to stay on track and complete his
education.
In spite of the harsh reality of his field of interest,
he told us in a recent e-mail, "Life is going pretty good. I am
working in Hunter's Point. There I patrol the streets and work with the
community. The area I patrol is the housing projects. I chose this job
because it falls into my studies. I deal with people's lives, cases
like domestic violence, shootings, fights and other similar things. I
also work with guys who have a lot of knowledge of how to work in the
streets."
We would like to thank College Access Foundation of California
for their scholarship support and their belief in Franklin's success.
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Meritus
Celebrates 15 Years!
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To tell the story of Meritus
College Fund is to speak of the  nearly four hundred San Francisco
public school students who, since 1996, have received the opportunity
to pursue their dreams of higher educations in spite of financial
hardship and life circumstances. Each of our students has a unique
history - challenges that would tax most adults, let alone a young
person. With this in mind, we are pleased to mark 2011 as our 15th
year serving our community.
Beginning with the vision of
founder Dr. Henry Safrit, a group of supportive friends, and one
scholarship, Meritus has grown to provide scholarships totaling over $5
million and is working with nearly two hundred scholars currently in
college. The majority of our scholars come from families with
annual incomes below $35,000 and are the first in their families to
attend college. They represent the diversity of the San Francisco
Unified school district. While each has a unique experience, Meritus
scholars have this in common: their hopes and dreams for the future.
Needless to say, they are an inspiration to us all.
We cannot tell the story of
Meritus and its remarkable achievements these past fifteen years
without acknowledging the partnership of donors and funders, a
dedicated cadre of volunteers, families and educators, and other
non-profits that support college access and educational equity. This
milestone belongs to us all!
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 Career Connections
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Connecting with professionals in careers of interest is
a challenge for many of our scholars who do not have networks from which
to draw. These connections make higher education particularly relevant,
motivate students to stay focused on their studies, and begin to
encourage young adults to think about how they might apply their
degrees to "life beyond college."
As part of Meritus Mentoring, we invited students to
participate in one of two workshops in our Career Connections program
over the holiday break. Through Career Connections our students are
matched with professionals who volunteer to help scholars learn more
about their field via informational interviewing, job shadowing, and
networking resources.
The workshops, facilitated by staff and two career
advisors, Stephanie Troxel and Leah Krentz, helped scholars prepare for
informational interviews by teaching ways to hone their presentation
and fact finding skills. The twenty-three scholars who participated are
now in the process of contacting a professional in our career
network.
The program includes workshops in writing resumes and
finding a summer job. If you would like to be a Career Mentor or
provide a summer opportunity to a scholar, please contact Ana Moraga,
415.400.8643, or Ana@meritusfund.org.
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Save the Date!
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15th Annual Awards Ceremony
Celebrating the Scholarship Recipients of 2011
*
Thursday, June 2, 2011 6-8pm
Presentation Theater University of San Francisco
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Help a low-income graduate of San Francisco public schools
access and succeed in college through financial support, coaching,and
mentoring
Donate Now!
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Be a Mentor!
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Join us!
To find out more, contact Ana Moraga at
415.400.8650
or via email at
Ana@meritusfund.org
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2010 Annual Fund Thank You!
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All of us at Meritus extend our sincerest gratitude for
your participation in our 2010 Annual Fund! We are exceedingly grateful
for your partnership in underwriting our Connections Program, which
allows us to provide scholars with individualized coaching and
mentoring to help them stay focused on college and graduate. As we
know, the path through college is as challenging as the path to
college. Your generosity helps to smooth the way.
To Our 2010 Annual Fund Donors!
Samuel and Mary Ann Aronson * Anne & Ed
Bakstad-Cohen *
Jason and
Kate Banfield * John Barry & May Pon *
Rachel
Perkel & Shawn Becker * Peter Benvenutti * Evelyn Bishoff *
Christopher & Jennifer Boyd * Ava Jean Brumbaum *
Sara
Callandar Stephens * Liz Sanchez & Tom Chavez *
Margaret
Chiu * Katharine Cosovich *
Steven
Crabiel * Carol Crawford * Beth & Andy Daecher *
Gretchen
De Baubigny * Mario De Paoli * Lisa Neimeth & Peter Dickstein *
Bruce & Ninive Dohrmann * Bill & Trudy
Drypolcher *
Tracy
Leeds & Evan Marwell * Financial Clarity, Inc. *
Bruce
& Lois Friedman * Leah Jayne & Gary Garrison-Kauf *
Art &
Drue Gensler * David & Jane Hartley * Geoffrey & Elizabeth
Hazard *
Dan Healy
* Elaine Hilp * Rosemary & David Hopkins * Lyn Isbell *
Tonia
& Adam Karr * John Stewart & Kate Hecht *
Margel
Kaufman * Jack & Irene Kaus * David & Paulette Kessler *
Joan
Levison * John & June Lilienthal * Siesel Maibach *
Rebecca
Jennings & Walter Mann *
Nini
McCone * Edward & Betsy McDermott * Michele McLaughlin *
Joe &
Carol McLaughlin * Howard & Nancy Mel * Harry Miller *
George
& Nancy Montgomery * Isabel & Tad Moore *
Paula
Morgan * Frank & Margaret Morrow * Roger & Erin Myers-McCormick
*
Natalie Neilson * Bill & Nancy Newmeyer * Pan-Med
Enterprises *
Blair
& Helen Pascoe * Lois Peacock * Mark & Mauree Jane Perry
*
Faye
Potts * Cynthia & Paul Pringle * Richard Reinhardt *
Katherine
& David Seligman-Heiden * Mahla Shaghafi *
Paul
& Heather Sterner * Heather Chan & Anthony Swei * MJ Thomas
*
Jerome
& Mary Vascellaro * Jane & Bernard Von Bothmer *
Virginia
Rubin & Richard Warmer * Edward Watkins * Diana Wolf *
Jacqueline
& Robert Young * Sara Zeff Geber *
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**********************************************************************
Board of
Directors:
Chris Boyd, J.D., President · Jacqueline Young,
Vice President ·
Anthony Swei,Treasurer · Mauree Jane Perry, Secretary
Tom
Chavez · Margaret Chiu ·
Bill Drypolcher · Tonia Karr· Isabel Moore
Carol McLaughlin · Paula Morgan · Frank Morrow · Lisa
Rose
Founder:
Henry
Safrit, M.D.
Editing:
Donald
Andreini
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