New federal funding aids Latinx and low-income students

California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) will receive over $1 million in grant funding according to a press release from Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office. 

A large chunk of the funding will be used for a program called Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA), in which $599,867 will be used to help Latinx students at the University of California, Santa Cruz and CSUMB prepare to be successful in their post-undergraduate education. 

“As more Hispanic and Latino students pursue higher education, we must ensure they have the tools they need for academic success,” Panetta said in the press release. “The PPOHA program will prepare these students for readiness and success at the post-baccalaureate level. I am especially proud to announce this critical funding during Hispanic Heritage Month as Latino students continue to enrich the Central Coast with their achievements.”

Panetta also announced over $1.9 million in grant funding will be used to help Central Coast students seeking higher education. This includes a $1 million grant to support local middle and high school students.

Later in the press release he discussed that CSUMB received over $1 million from those federal grants to support the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, known as the GEAR UP partnership program.

The $1,306,400 will be used to help prepare local, low-income middle and high school students from Monterey, Seaside and Santa Cruz to be successful in a postsecondary education. CSUMB will use these funds to offer a GEAR UP grant to 1,633 sixth and seventh grade students. The grant money will serve the Seaside, Walter Colton, Shoreline and Branciforte middle schools that feed into Seaside, Monterey and Harbor high schools.

Panetta said in his press release “underserved students face many challenges on their journey to academic achievement” and “the GEAR UP program will help over 1,600 students prepare for academic readiness, success and affordability at the postsecondary level.”

“I am proud to announce this critical funding and commend CSUMB for its role to help local students thrive in their academic careers,” he said. 

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