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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Funding for four-year scholarships and financial aid for 25 college-bound students from South Los Angeles was announced today.
The SoLa I Can Foundation non-profit organization has partnered with camera company Snap Inc. to help students in a community where only three in 10 graduating high school seniors go on to attend college, according to SoLa.
Snap will fund $250,000 in scholarships in 2022 for low-income Black and Latino students, according to the foundation.
``Deserving students from South Central Los Angeles want to pursue two-and four-year degrees, but the arduous financial aid process and the massive student loan burden can be daunting,'' said Sherri Francois, chief impact officer of SoLa Impact and executive director of the SoLa I Can Foundation.
``We want to help not only finance, but also support, inspire and mentor these young people as they navigate the halls of academia.''
Beyond the financial commitment to scholarships, Snap will also work with the SoLa Impact team to provide long-term programming and engagement through the SoLa Technology and Entrepreneurship Center, which was launched earlier this month, the foundation said.
``At Snap, we are committed to creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable world, both for our own team and the larger community we are part of,'' said Lindsey Heisser, philanthropy program manager at Snap Inc.
``We look for organizations that have scalable and practical solutions to address racial equity and increase opportunity for communities like South Los Angeles.
``In addition to financially supporting the SoLa Scholars program, we found a partner that gives our team members meaningful ways to engage with the community to share their skills and talents.''