The #CaliforniansForAll program benefited more than 3,200 scholarship recipients who were sworn in in the first days of October.
Launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the #CaliforniansForAll program offers a $10,000 scholarship to college students who complete a year of community service.
Community service can be through tutoring low-income students in K-12 schools, food distribution, or taking action against climate change.
"We know that they are going to be doing extraordinarily meaningful work for our community," Josh Fryday, director of California Services in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, said at a press conference hosted by Ethnic Media Services in which information was given about the #CaliforniansForAll program.
The #CaliforniansForAll program will be available at 46 California universities including public and private, and will benefit community organizations and school districts.
"It's going to help students in the community and all of society and that's why Governor Newsom is so proud, that's why he said it's one of the things he's most proud of in his administration, and that's why he invested so much in this program. , to make sure it's available to hundreds of people," Fryday said.
He also noted that #CaliforniansForAll is the first program to include AB-540 or Dreamers students.
“We are very proud that part of the more than 3,200 students, more than 500 of the students are Dreamers and we want to make sure that they are clear that we value you, we believe in you, we know what you are going to contribute to our society and we are going to create opportunities to support them," he said.
So far, the program has received at least 10,000 applications - 3 for each open space - however, the universities selected the students through a competitive application program, and those who were not selected can reapply next year. In addition, Friday noted that the program will be available until 2026.
For her part, Debbie S. Espinosa, president and CEO of FIND Food Bank, recognized the state of California as an innovator and for being the first state to create this program to help the community.
In turn, he pointed out the importance of ensuring that people have the means to break the cycles of poverty.
Ali Alani, a student at the University of California, San Diego and a fellow of the program, born in Syria, said that "the program is excellent because it benefits a lot of people in very different ways."
Similarly, he acknowledged that the program addresses both economic and food security deficiencies and even climate change and noted that he seeks to "help students."
"I want to inspire students to achieve their goals," he said.
For her part, Wendi Lizola, a first-generation undocumented student at California State University in Sacramento, recounted the economic and educational difficulties she experienced as a child.
"My sisters and I lived through this as children and they taught us to take advantage of the opportunities we had," Lizola said.
Likewise, she said that being an undocumented student is very complicated, since AB-540 students are sometimes not hired by employers and it becomes difficult to pay university fees.
"My parents are very happy that I am in this program," he concluded, acknowledging that thanks to #CaliforniansForAll, he understood the difficulties students face and commented on his desire to help and inspire them.
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