Five-Year Roger Trinchero Family Foundation Grant to Support 10,000 Degrees College Success Programming in Napa County
San Rafael, Calif. (September 27, 2021) – 10,000 Degrees, an organization dedicated to empowering students to enter and graduate college in seven Bay Area counties, is pleased to announce that it has received a five-year $100,000 annual grant from the Roger Trinchero Family Foundation to support the organization’s college success program in Napa County.
10,000 Degrees uses an innovative model that embeds fellows—near-peer coaches with similar backgrounds who are recent college graduates and often alum of 10,000 Degrees—into high school and college campuses to help students navigate their college success journey. The Roger Trinchero Family Foundation grant will allow 10,000 Degrees to expand their fellowship program to support college success programming for Napa Valley students. Two 10,000 Degrees Fellows will work with Napa Valley Community College students and community college-bound students from the Napa region, as well as engage high school students from across the entire Napa Valley. The Napa College Access and College Success Fellows will work closely together to provide a seamless transition for Napa students graduating high school and entering community college.
The Educational Opportunity Gap in Napa County
According to the California Student Aid Commission, 56.7% of Napa County high school students are Latinx, and of those students, 74% are from financially disadvantaged households, 36% are English language learners, and only 41% meet A-G requirements. Additionally, nearly 60% of Latinx Napa County students graduate from high school without meeting the academic requirements to attend a four-year college.
According to the California Department of Education, more than 80% of students entering community college nationwide indicate a desire to earn a four-year degree, but less than 14% do so. By comparison, students participating in the 10,000 Degrees college success program transfer to and graduate from four-year colleges at three times the national average. For many students, community college is the only pathway to a four-year degree, and without support from programs like 10,000 Degrees, many of these students are not likely to earn a four-year college degree.
About the Roger Trinchero Family Foundation
The mission of the Roger Trinchero Family Foundation is to support early childhood education and other causes impacting children in Napa County. In addition to 10,000 Degrees, the Foundation’s current early education recipients are Community Resources for Children, ParentsCAN (a child advocacy network), St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School, St. Helena Preschool for All, the Scout Hall renovation fund, Napa Valley Vine Trail, St. Helena Carpy Gang and Cheer (a recreation program for boys and girls), and CANV – Community Action of Napa Valley – Food Bank.
Roger Trinchero Family Foundation’s partnership with 10,000 Degrees will help create a continuum of educational support for disadvantaged youth in Napa County. Additionally, it will ensure that students benefiting from the Foundation’s investment in early childhood education will not lose the ground they have gained once they enter high school and continue their success all the way to baccalaureate attainment.
“The Roger Trinchero Foundation is proud to partner with 10,000 Degrees and we are very excited about the work 10,000 Degrees is doing in Napa Valley to help students realize their full potential,” said Chris Roth, Roger Trinchero Family Foundation representative. “As the father of two boys, I know how complicated and confusing it can be to navigate the education system. 10,000 Degrees does a great job of helping students and their families understand and access the full range of opportunities and assistance available to them.”
“If you had asked me when I was a high school senior where I saw myself in 10 years, I could not have imagined that I would be a first-generation college graduate, 10,000 Degrees alumnus, or fortunate enough to work for an organization that truly believes that all students should have the chance to go to college,” said Hugo A. Que, 10,000 Degrees program manager for the Napa region. “Thanks to receiving a scholarship with the help of 10,000 Degrees, I was able to attend and graduate from California State University Stanislaus. I’m so proud to now be working with 10,000 Degrees to help Napa students reach their own higher education goals.”
To learn more about 10,000 Degrees, or to donate, please visit www.10000degrees.org.
MEDIA, PLEASE NOTE: For questions, or to request an interview with a 10,000 Degrees or Roger Trinchero Family Foundation representative, please contact Alaina Baum at (415) 706-8121 or alaina.baum@10000degrees.org.
About 10,000 Degrees®
10,000 Degrees® is the leading, equity-focused scholarship provider and college success nonprofit in California that supports students from low-income backgrounds to and through college. 10,000 Degrees serves more than 12,000 students and their families each year with comprehensive wraparound support, college and financial aid counseling, near-peer alumni coaching, scholarships, and financial aid management. Unlike most other college success organizations, there is no GPA requirement to participate in 10,000 Degrees programs. Powered by Fellows, near-peer coaches who are recent college graduates and often alum of 10,000 Degrees, they are embedded in high school and college campuses to help students navigate life both on and off-campus and throughout their college success journey. With this innovative support model, 10,000 Degrees achieves unmatched success rates: Over 80% of 10,000 Degrees four-year college students earn bachelor’s degrees, compared to 31% of their peers nationally. 10,000 Degrees community college students transfer to and graduate from four-year colleges at a rate that’s three times the national average. 10,000 Degrees students also graduate with 88% less student loan debt than the national average. 10,000 Degrees operates in seven Bay Area counties – San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara – and works in 28 high schools, 26 community colleges, and over 130 four-year colleges and universities across the nation. For more information about 10,000 Degrees, please visit www.10000degrees.org.