Look out for news about the next College Bound Celebration taking place on May 26, 2016 at the Warner Grand Theatre.
On May 28 at the Warner Grand Theatre, high school seniors from San Pedro, Wilmington, Lomita and Gardena gathered with their families to celebrate their completion of the Boys & Girls Club College Bound program. This year our College Bound program served more high school seniors than ever with over 500 participants.
A total of $107,000 in scholarships was awarded to 101 exemplary students thanks to generous donations from College Futures Foundation, Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary, the Joe Rich Family Foundation, Herb and Arlene Zimmer and Suzy Zimmerman of State Farm. We also awarded scholarships to stand-out youth in our Keystone leadership program and our FOCUS Athletics program.
College Bound Director Yesenia Aguilar congratulating a graduate.
Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Dr. Richard Vladovic delivered the keynote address. Dr. Vladovic recalled when he previously delivered the keynote address at the College Bound Celebration in 2004 at the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club. Then, the class was comprised of only about 40 students. This year, over 90% of students graduating through the program are going to college in the fall to such schools as Cornell University, USC, Long Beach State and Long Angeles Harbor College.
Paying it Forward – In the spirit of giving back, two of our College Bound alumni, Christian Velasquez attending Loyola Marymount University and David Rosales attending CSU Stanislaus, teamed up for the second year in a row to award a scholarship to a deserving graduating senior.
Alumni Christian Velasquez and David Rosales with scholarship winner Jose Beltran, attending CSU Long Beach in the Fall.
Executive Director Mike Lansing with graduates Daisy Javregui and Andres Ramirez.
Opening Doors for an Award Winning Scholar
Daisy Javregui is a senior at Banning High School and has been a Wilmington Club member since her sophomore year. Daisy comes from a low income family where she is grateful for all that her parents can provide to her through their hard work. Despite this Daisy is a very focused student. Her GPA surpasses a 4.0 and she still makes time to volunteer in our Keystone student leadership group and our Jr. Staff program. With assistance in applying for financial aid through our College Bound program, Daisy is the winner of two prestigious four-year scholarships: The Gates Millennium and the Posse Foundation scholarships. All doors are now open for Daisy as she attends Pepperdine University in the Fall.
From Seeking Refuge to a Full-Tuition Scholarship
Andres Ramirez found solace at the Wilmington Boys & Girls Club to escape gang crime in his neighborhood. A family member joining a gang almost pulled Andres down that path. Fortunately, he chose to focus on his academics and community service. He has had intensive case management from College Bound since his junior year and received much support in completing his applications. We are very proud that not only is Andres a recipient of a full-tuition Posse scholarship to attend UC Berkley, but he will also be the first in his family to attend college.
LA Harbor and Wilmington Youth of the Year Diana Meza and San Pedro Youth of the Year Brianna Moss receiving scholarships from Director of High School Services Anthony Luna. Diana and Brianna will attend CSU Chico and UC Davis respectively.
Director of Athletics Phillip Redd with his student athletes including scholarship winners Michael Simpson and Everardo Ramirez, attending University of Dayton and UC Irvine respectively.