PCC Foundation Announces New 2022 Scholars Program

New Pasadena City College program aims to benefit PUSD students

PHOTO: Pasadena.edu | SouthPasadenan.com News | Pasadena City College campus

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The Pasadena City College Foundation is proud to announce the Ann Peppers Scholars Program, a grant established by the Ann Peppers Foundation.

The Ann Peppers Scholars Program will provide students from the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) with a comprehensive hands-on program. The goal of its enhanced financial, academic, mentoring, and career-related services is to increase the students’ retention, persistence, and degree/certificate completion at PCC. In addition, it will prepare students for a career after graduation from PCC and/or for a four-year college.

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A relatively small group of students, 16 in the first year, will obtain direct student aid. In addition, the students will receive personalized and integrated wrap-around services through a team of caring individuals at PCC. The team of professionals will guide students through the complexities and confusion of the college, assist them with the financial aid application process, enrollment, orientation, counseling, career selection and preparation, opportunities for internships, and the practical aspects of job readiness.

“PCC is such an amazing community college,” said Jennifer DeVoll, a member of The Ann Peppers Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Pasadena Community Foundation. “I feel good knowing that we will encourage and support PUSD students in getting access to resources that will propel them to great careers. Navigating the resources is hard. It requires extra care, and that is what we want to provide.”

Applications for PUSD students enrolling at PCC in September 2022 will be accepted beginning November 1, 2021. There will be scheduled Open Houses/Information Sessions and Financial Aid Workshops for students and parents in the fall.

According to PUSD data, more than 1,885 PUSD students have enrolled at PCC between 2015 and 2020. The program will serve an estimated 50 PUSD students per year once the program is running at capacity, providing tuition, books, and additional academic, career, and other support resources. As a result, the Foundation anticipates that participating students will have higher persistence/graduation rates and lower drop-out rates than non-participants given the services.

“I’m very excited to partner with Pasadena City College given its proactive approach towards Pasadena students,” said Mary Machado Schammel, a board member of The Ann Peppers Foundation and Co-Founder/CEO of M&A Advisory firm. “I value the holistic approach the Foundation is taking with academic, career, and personal needs.”

The Ann Peppers Foundation supports education, health and social services, and the arts.

The Pasadena City College Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable, public-benefit corporation that develops funding and community support to enhance teaching and learning at Pasadena City College.