One Sacramento organization that helps those pursuing higher education get into college is also helping students apply for student loan relief. Established in 1994, Breakthrough Sacramento in Oak Park has been recruiting students from Twin Rivers, San Juan, and Sacramento City unified school districts to six-year programs aimed at getting minority groups into higher education.”In our region, less than 30% of our under-resourced students meet math standards and less than 40% are meeting English language arts – or ELA – standards, and this compares to the more affluent peers in our region who do twice as well. Are our students half as smart? Of course, they’re not half as smart,” said Faith Galati, the executive director at the organization.The organization’s goal is to reduce the achievement gap difference between students of color and their more affluent peers. Ninety-six percent of the population they serve is made up mostly of students of color and 38% come from single-parent households.Galati said that while many of their students can get financial support, what is really needed is affordable education. Lizeth Galindo, a first-generation student at Sacramento State, knows the problem of affordable education all too well. Last semester, she was forced to pay some money out-of-pocket and with rent, groceries, and other expenses on campus, and she’s afraid she’s going to have to pay again.”If I continue having to pay out-of-pocket, there’s going to be a point where I’m going to have to take the loans out. It’s just that loans are scary. You always hear people talk about being in debt for a long time and that’s just a fear that I have,” Galindo said.On the heels of the Biden Administration’s federal student loan forgiveness plan, the organization has recently started reaching out to former students to answer their questions and even help them apply if needed.Galati said that over the last decade, they’ve started tracking loans and it’s now become a big part of what they do but reaffirms that higher-ed is worth it. More than 90% of the students in their program are accepted into a four-year college every year compared to 52% of their peers.”When a student from an impoverished household achieves a bachelor’s degree, there’s only a 5% chance that they’ll return to poverty. Education is an antidote,” Galati said.The majority of students that Breakthrough Sacramento serves are the first in their families to attend college.How to join Breakthrough SacramentoTo be eligible, students must be sixth-or-seventh graders a would-be first-generation college student who qualifies for free or reduced school meals. They must commit to a six-year program that lasts from the seventh grade to the 12th grade and be able to pursue a higher education after high school.Students must attend sessions during the summer and school years. While in high school, both students and parents/guardian(s) must receive academic advising and comprehensive college counseling.You can find more information here.
One Sacramento organization that helps those pursuing higher education get into college is also helping students apply for student loan relief.
Established in 1994, Breakthrough Sacramento in Oak Park has been recruiting students from Twin Rivers, San Juan, and Sacramento City unified school districts to six-year programs aimed at getting minority groups into higher education.
“In our region, less than 30% of our under-resourced students meet math standards and less than 40% are meeting English language arts – or ELA – standards, and this compares to the more affluent peers in our region who do twice as well. Are our students half as smart? Of course, they’re not half as smart,” said Faith Galati, the executive director at the organization.
The organization’s goal is to reduce the achievement gap difference between students of color and their more affluent peers. Ninety-six percent of the population they serve is made up mostly of students of color and 38% come from single-parent households.
Galati said that while many of their students can get financial support, what is really needed is affordable education.
Lizeth Galindo, a first-generation student at Sacramento State, knows the problem of affordable education all too well. Last semester, she was forced to pay some money out-of-pocket and with rent, groceries, and other expenses on campus, and she’s afraid she’s going to have to pay again.
“If I continue having to pay out-of-pocket, there’s going to be a point where I’m going to have to take the loans out. It’s just that loans are scary. You always hear people talk about being in debt for a long time and that’s just a fear that I have,” Galindo said.
On the heels of the Biden Administration’s federal student loan forgiveness plan, the organization has recently started reaching out to former students to answer their questions and even help them apply if needed.
Galati said that over the last decade, they’ve started tracking loans and it’s now become a big part of what they do but reaffirms that higher-ed is worth it. More than 90% of the students in their program are accepted into a four-year college every year compared to 52% of their peers.
“When a student from an impoverished household achieves a bachelor’s degree, there’s only a 5% chance that they’ll return to poverty. Education is an antidote,” Galati said.
The majority of students that Breakthrough Sacramento serves are the first in their families to attend college.
How to join Breakthrough Sacramento
To be eligible, students must be sixth-or-seventh graders a would-be first-generation college student who qualifies for free or reduced school meals. They must commit to a six-year program that lasts from the seventh grade to the 12th grade and be able to pursue a higher education after high school.
Students must attend sessions during the summer and school years. While in high school, both students and parents/guardian(s) must receive academic advising and comprehensive college counseling.
