In a few weeks, hundreds of students across South Florida will be graduating from High School. Most of them have already been accepted in post-secondary educational institutions and are ready to pursue a College degree. Sadly, many of them are still uncertain of their future because their financial situation does not allow them to move on to the next level in their educational journey.
Fortunately, for some of these young students with high aspirations there is a helping hand to assist them in this process, ASPIRA of Florida (ASPIRA). For the last thirty years, ASPIRA has been helping young students from financially disadvantaged communities achieve their goals by providing them the opportunity to partake in educational leadership programs and provide them with advisors from as early as middle school and continuing throughout their high school graduation and beyond. Thanks to the efforts made possible by the ASPIRA College Education (ACE) Scholarship Fund some students are provided with the financial assistance they need to begin their college education.
This past year, the ASPIRA, Miami-Dade Local Advisory Council (LAC), comprised of volunteers from a myriad of professional sectors within the Miami Dade County business community, raised funds to help ten graduating seniors reach their goal of pursuing a College education. Despite these great efforts by the Miami Dade LAC, there are many graduating students still in need of scholarships. To date, more than 130 seniors have been served by the ASPIRA Miami-Dade Division through seven high schools from around the County during the 2010-2011 fiscal year; of which more than 85% live in low-income households. Help us make a difference not only in the lives of these young people, but also their families and, ultimately, the community.
