Creating Educated Communities
Written By Kimberly Ewertz
W
hat is in a name? In
the case of Cal-SOAP,
California Student
Opportunity and Access
Program, it’s the message behind the
name that matters.
“Creating educated communities, one
underrepresented student at a time,”
is Cal-SOAP’s mission statement. That
mission began almost 40 years ago, under
the administration of The California
Student Aid Commission (CSAC).
“They administer all the Cal-Grants in
the state of California to college students,”
Erin Gemar, Project Director, South
County Cal-SOAP, said. “Cal-SOAP’s
mission was to make college available for
every Californian, and provide access on
how to get there.”
Today, the program has expanded
beyond CSAC’s expectations.
“We’re at twenty-five schools now; we
are in the four districts, but we’re serving
six districts, because we do financial aid
in Soledad and Gonzalez Unified,” Gemar
said.
But what does Cal-SOAP mean to the
staff?
“We believe that every person who
walks through the doors of our offices
leaves more educated than when they
arrived,” Gemar said.
For Eric Martin, Tutor Coordinator,
Cal-SOAP represents assurance that
all people have access to a college
education. Coordinator of Financial Aid
and Scholarships, Robert Trout, wants all
students to understand that Cal-SOAP
88
provides a place to go for their college
needs.
“College is something that you can
reach,” Trout said.
When did Cal-SOAP make its way to
Gilroy? In 2000, San Jose applied for an
extension grant that would ensure the
establishment of the Cal-SOAP program
at Gilroy High School, Mt. Madonna
Continuation High School, South Valley
Middle School, San Isidro, and Las
Animas Elementary School. When things
did not go as planned and the exten-
sion grant was jeopardized, then Gilroy
Superintendent Edwin Diaz worked out
the necessary details and requirements
that allowed the grant money to remain
in Gilroy. By 2003 he had successfully
completed his mission.
At that time, Gemar left her position
as Academic Coordinator at Gilroy High
(Cal-SOAP headquarters) to take on the
role of Project Director.
Cal-SOAP Tutor Lloselin Rodriguez’s
message is simple: “Education is KEY.”
Each year, approximately five hundred
high school seniors receive one-on-one
counseling from Cal-SOAP, and more
than 94 percent of these students go on to
college—proof of the program’s effective-
ness in helping students of every back-
ground and financial situation to consider
college as an option.
What is the secret behind the program’s
success? The answer is dedication.
“Even before I knew what an outreach
program was, it’s how I was raised to
believe, and live. Share, care, and teach,”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
Gemar said. “Through Cal-SOAP, I have
limitless opportunities to donate my
personal time and financial resources for
students, and for the program.”
For Gemar, a key component to the
program is empowerment.
“It’s not enough to help them fill out
an application, or to help them complete
a homework assignment,” Gemar said.
“Our students learn how to fill out the
application on their own, and understand
the concepts within the homework, so
they can do it on their own the next time
around.”
Nothing solidifies the effectiveness of
the program more than success stories.
Cal-SOAP alumnus, Manuel Aviña, is one
of those.
“College was always a dream that my
parents wanted for me, but they didn’t
have the resources or information to get
me there,” Aviña said. “Without the help
of Cal-SOAP, I would not have come out
of UC San Diego debt free. This program
really helps minorities, who statistically
wouldn’t have made it to college, better
their lives, and better the lives of their
communities. Cal-SOAP invests in under-
represented students like me, so we can
later pay it forward to those that need it.
Minorities are the big ‘movers and shak-
ers’ because we’ve lived the struggle.”
A major component of Cal-SOAP’s
resources for students has been the college
scholarship program. College Futures
Foundation, CFF, has provided Cal-SOAP
$150,000 per year for scholarships to
low-income students, for the past decade.
gmhtoday.com