| SMC
Is Helping Girls to be Strong, Smart and Bold
Over 350,000 girls under the age of
18 live in Alameda County, and according to the U.S. Census
Bureau 2005 American Community Survey, more than 13% of them
live in a single-family home below the poverty line.
To help empower girls to expand their
sense of what they can accomplish, SMC has teamed up with
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County to sponsor a young intern.
For the past 45-years, the non-profit
organization has provided academic and skill-building programs
and real-life options to girls around the East Bay. According
to the organization’s website, each year Girls Inc.
serves more than 7,000 low-income girls aged between 6-18
through programs offered at over 40 schools and community
sites in Alameda County. Sixty percent of girls served are
from families earning less than $30,000 annually, and 82%
come from families of color.
To do its part in helping mentor young
girls today, the Office of the President will host a high
school intern enrolled in the Girls Inc Eureka! program starting
July 2. The intern will develop skills with computers, sharpen
administrative and communication skills, and increase her
opportunity to form supportive mentor relationships with SMC
staff.
“The Eureka! program is thrilled
to partner with Samuel Merritt College again this summer.
A very lucky intern will be allowed to explore the world of
higher education and experience the ins and outs of a dynamic
office and a first-class learning institution,” said
Lindsay White, Eureka! Internship Coordinator, Girls Incorporated
of Alameda County.
An important element of the SMC’s
vision is to establish strong relationships within the community
to help increase the learning potential of high school students.
Investing in mentorship programs is an investment in sustaining
the future of the College. Being involved with Girls Inc allows
the college to achieve that through the mentorship of one
girl, a seemingly small step that will help lead to increasing
all student learning and achievement.
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