Headline News - SRA Summer

Tuesday, 03 of June, 2008

Meet the Class of 2008. Our largest class ever is off to college in the fall.

Krisandra Adams (El Molino High School - Oberlin College) Krisandra grew up in a homeless family. With her parents separated, and her mother a recovering heroin addict, Krisandra never lived in a place for more than 4-5 months at a time. She found comfort in school spending hours studying and excelling in her coursework.

Anthony Anekwe ( Encinal High School - Brown University) Anthony is a self-taught classical pianist, and will be the first African American valedictorian at his high school. In and out of the foster care system, Anthony has had little contact with his father and his mother is in a coma. Anthony received the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship and someday hopes to become a neurosurgeon.

Maya Barnes (Castlemont Business & Information Technology - CSU Northridge) Maya and her brother were placed into foster care nine years ago when her parents could no longer take care of them. The family was often evicted and when they could no longer pay the bills, there was no water, no lights, nor food. Maya is currently senior class President.

Alsidneio Bell (Oakland Military Institute College Prep – Morehouse College) Al’s father has been in jail for the past 20 years, and his mother died of breast cancer when he was seven years old. Al and his siblings moved constantly over the last nine years. He will be the first in his family to attend college where he hopes to pursue a degree in Engineering.

Samantha Carter (Berkeley High School – Brown University) Living in poverty-stricken Curaçao, Samantha and her family knew that her academic future was in the US. At the age of 10, alone and without her parents, Samantha journeyed to Vermont to live with her sister. Supporting herself since 8th grade, Samantha is currently senior class president at Berkeley High where she received the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship Award.

Sidikie Dolleh (Mountain View High School – Santa Clara University) Sidikie was born into the brutal world of Liberia. His parents were murdered when he was a baby and he was carried by a relative into neighboring Sierre Leone. Sidikie started school when he was 10 years old but when rebel fighting became fierce, Sidikie and his two siblings moved to the UN refugee camp. Two years ago, he came to the US with a 5th grade education. Sidikie learned a new language, a new culture, and is now a high school senior with a 3.5 GPA.

Tyre Ellison (Burton High School – UC Berkeley) Tyre lives in the troubled Sunnydale Projects where after the shooting death of his cousin, he decided to focus on school. He is a locally and state recognized high school athlete in football, basketball, and track and field, and is on the school honor roll.

Aaron Jones (Excel High School - Saint Mary’s College) Aaron’s mother is raising six children as a single-parent. Aaron is the oldest sibling and is expected to balance the demands of being a primary caregiver with school. He is eager to be the first in his family to attend college.

Yaqiao Li (Abraham Lincoln High School – UC Berkeley) Born in China, Yaqiao’s parents divorced and her mother immigrated to the US to give her daughter a better future. In 2006, tragedy struck when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Yaqiao found herself alone when her mother decided to return to China, where she died in 2007. Yaqiao is eager to pursue a medical degree and received the UC Berkeley Incentive Award.

Alexandria Lujan (Independence High School – UC Berkeley) Alexandria was raised by a single mother who often used alcohol and drugs. When her mother became physically abusive, Alexandria took her younger siblings to a shelter for safety. Alexandria and her siblings have now all been placed into foster care. Alex will be the first in her family to attend college and received the Incentive Award at Cal.

Julian Merino (Raoul Wallenberg High School – UC Davis) Julian grew up in a home with a mother who was mentally ill and a father who was an alcoholic. When the domestic violence became too much, Julian and his mother lived in shelters until she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Julian moved in with his grandparents and focused on school and community service.

Tammy Nguyen (Andrew Hill High School – UC Santa Cruz) Tammy comes from a family of Vietnamese immigrants and she will be the first in her family to attend college. Tammy is the primary caregiver for her mom who is mentally ill. During high school, she has studied independently to meet the demands of providing for her mother. Despite these challenges, she maintains tops grades and played on her high school football team where she was voted homecoming game team captain.

Sandy Phan (San Rafael High School – Santa Clara University) Sandy’s father passed away when she was seven years old and her mother struggled financially to raise Sandy and her four brothers. As a Vietnamese family living in a predominately Latino neighborhood, her family often experienced racism. Their daily struggles and hardships inspired Sandy to do well in school for herself and for her family.

Shanita Talton (Castlemont Business & Information Technology High School – UC Berkeley) Shanita’s mother has been a crack addict most of her life and became HIV positive after the birth of her last child. Shanita is the primary caregiver for her four siblings and has often acted as a parent to her mother. There were nights when Shanita went to bed hungry because she gave what little food they had to her younger siblings. In and out of the foster care system, Shanita found solace in school. She recently received the Bill Gates Millennium Award and the UC Berkeley Incentive Scholarship.

Nina Torres (Andrew Hill High School – Columbia University) Nina was born to a single mom who suffered permanent brain damage resulting from an accident. With little money, Nina and her five siblings raised each other. With no financial support from her parents, Nina was legally adopted by her half-sister and is financially on her own.

Chloe Underdue (Mission High School – UCLA) Chloe was born and raised in the Sunnydale Projects. “I can still hear my grandmother say, ‘Chloe, go to college so you have all that your mother and I didn’t.” When her grandmother died, Chloe’s mother began to use drugs and at one point, they moved into a shelter. Since 12 years of age, Chloe has been on her own with no adult assistance.

Vanessa Villafuerte (Roseland University Preparatory – Sonoma State) Vanessa helps her single mother raise seven children. She is often the primary caregiver and role model for her five younger siblings. The family lives in a gang-infested area in Santa Rose in a small house where life is a struggle. School has always been important to Vanessa who is ranked #1 in her class with a 4.1 GPA.

Jonathan Zeigler and Justin Zeigler (LIFE Academy – UCLA) It’s hard not to talk about Jonathan and Justin in the same sentence. Plagued by chaos, upheaval and parental absence, they are the only stabilizing force in each other’s life. Their father abandoned them when they were two and their mom had a nervous breakdown when the twins were 12 years old. Jonathan and Justin were placed into foster care before being reunited with their mother. Food was scarce, they were often hungry, they lived in shelters and in the projects, and once in a car. Now too old for foster care, Jonathan and Justin are living on their own in Oakland supporting themselves. Justin received the Bill Gates Millennium Award.

Highlight News From Our Graduating College Students:

Aisha Johnson (SRA Class of 2001)
Graduating from University of the Pacific

Damon Witts (SRA Class of 2003)
Graduating from UC Berkeley

DeMarus Allen (SRA Class of 2004)
Graduating from Northwestern University

Karl Berta (SRA Class of 2003)
Graduating from UC Berkeley

Lorna Contreras (SRA Class of 2004)
Graduating from St Mary’s College

Patrick Armstrong (SRA Class of 2003)
Graduating from UC Berkeley

Ricardo Iraheta (SRA Class of 2004)
Graduating from UC Santa Barbara

Stevon Cook (SRA Class of 2003)
Graduating from Williams College

Veronica Toscano (SRA Class of 2004)
Graduating from Santa Clara University

Walid Zafar (SRA Class of 2004)
Graduating from University of Puget Sound

Zachary Tabb (SRA Class of 2003)
Graduating from Cal Ploy, San Luis Obispo



Donor’s Corner
Record Breaking Fifth Annual Gala “A Spectacular Success!”

The numbers say it all:

520 = Supporters in attendance
$530,000 = Net proceeds raised (up from $334,000 last year)
$251,000 = Dollars contributed to the Off-to-College Fund
One-in-a-million = The Julia Burke Foundation pledged $1,000,000 to SRA
One-of-kind = Billy Kopeikin, our student speaker who shared his remarkable story from living on the streets to graduating from the University of Oregon to working at Wells Fargo.
Over 47 = Students attended
Over 25 = Students placed in summer jobs in 2007 by Donna Gaetano Volunteer Award recipients Lauren Brener and Vicki Unger
75% = the percentage increase in the number of students who will be selected into the new class as a result of the success from the Gala.

A special thank you to this year’s outstanding Gala Committee for creating a spectacular evening for our guests and students: Bryce Anderson, Paolo Bernazzani, Catherine Boutros, Jolee David, Bobbi Evans, Nino Gaetano, Mimi Gorin, Jennifer Kockos, Kirsten McCarthy, James McFadden, Laurie Munos, Suzanne Bartholemy, Gloria Robinson, Carrie Rosencrans, Loren Simpleo, Shauna Smith, Sheri Stray, James Wallace, and Lori Yeomans.

Our thanks to the many kind and generous people who help our students realize their dream of a college education.


© 2008 Students Rising Above™