East Bay College Fund gives out 22 scholarships to Oakland, Emeryville youths

OAKLAND, CA-May 20, 2008

Contra Costa Times–Montclarion/Piedmonter

Best friends Clarresha Slay and Clarisha Walton of Oakland share sound-alike names, similarly dazzling smiles-and an exceptional drive to overcome personal hardships that have plagued their youth. On Thursday, May 22, the two graduating seniors from Oakland’s Castlemont-Leadership Prep High School will share a celebratory moment as they accept $16,000 scholarships from the East Bay College Fund. Continue Reading »

The catch: Youths will need to earn high school diplomas

Oakland Tribune
By Katy Murphy, STAFF WRITER
Article Created: 03/22/2008 02:37:25 AM PDT

OAKLAND — They are 10 and 11 years old, more than six years shy of the college application crunch. But if they earn good grades and graduate from high school, the fifth-graders at Think College Now Elementary School in East Oakland will have $1,000 to spend on a higher education. For the second year in a row, the East Bay College Fund has pledged scholarship money to Think College Now’s fifth-grade class. More than 90 percent of the roughly 250 students who attend the Fruitvale-area school come from low-income families, and more than two-thirds are learning English, according to data posted on the school’s Web site.

The idea behind the pledge, said Principal David Silver, is to say to them, “If you do your part, we’re going to do our part to get you there.”

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