Higher education was front and center at the recent Santa Catalina Island Fund for Higher Education awards dinner held on Sunday. The annual event celebrates Catalina students on their way to college, and there was a lot to celebrate this year.
The event, sponsored by AVID, was held at the Avalon School under a lovely spring moon. A fabulous alfresco dinner prepared by Alex Romero and his crew was followed by a 90-minute program hosted by SCIF director Linda Rivkin.
Higher education was front and center at the recent Santa Catalina Island Fund for Higher Education awards dinner held on Sunday. The annual event celebrates Catalina students on their way to college, and there was a lot to celebrate this year.
The event, sponsored by AVID, was held at the Avalon School under a lovely spring moon. A fabulous alfresco dinner prepared by Alex Romero and his crew was followed by a 90-minute program hosted by SCIF director Linda Rivkin.
More than 150 attendees were introduced to past and present island students who have participated in SCIF’s rigorous extra-curricular program. The payoffs included special recognition and shout-outs, medals and awards, and rolling bags stuffed with a range of college essentials, including laptop computers. Most important, all 16 graduating seniors who completed the program received scholarships to their respective colleges, helping to ease the financial burden of their continuing education.
Founded eight years ago, SCIF is a non-profit organization that seeks to enable the path to college for young islanders. More than 100 Catalina students have passed through the program and went on to pursue their college dreams. Some 90 percent ultimately graduate, almost all going on to professional careers or advanced degrees. Over the years, SCIF has become pivotal in developing an island culture that now recognizes higher education as the most reliable path to success.
For more information, please visit their website at www.scifhigheredu.org or call 310-427-2450.
