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ACC Foundation Helps Students Pursue Dreams

Carla Arellano never envisioned herself as a college student. Dropping out of school after 10th grade, she was convinced she "wasn't academic material," she said.

She worked as a hair stylist, a career she loved and that she excelled at, with a following of 650 clients.

Then her world turned upside down. After being severely injured in an assault, the 37-year-old mother of two was left unable to cut hair and was wiped out financially by medical bills.

Unsure of what to do next with her life, Arellano traveled to Africa on a mission trip. That's where she decided she wanted to go back to school to be a Christian counselor.

"I looked back at what I loved about cutting hair and it was the amateur counseling," she said. "I love giving people a new way of looking at something, and I love giving people hope."

Arellano, a Littleton resident, lives on just $300 a month for her and her two sons, ages 12 and 17. A scholarship from the Arapahoe Community College Foundation gave her the means to pursue her education.

"It was a big leap of faith for me because I am not a typical student," she said.

The ACC Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for the college, said Courtney Snowberger, the foundation's executive director. The organization awards more than $50,000 in scholarships per year, she said.

Enrollment at ACC is up 8.7 percent this semester, Snowberger said.

"With the way the economy is going, people are coming back to community college for training," she said, adding that certificates that can give adults an edge in the increasingly competitive workforce are a "hot item" right now.

"The need for additional funding is huge - that's where we come in," Snowberger said. "We don't want money to be a barrier for anyone who wants to further their education."

Snowberger describes the foundation as the bridge between the community and the college by forming partnerships with businesses and donors in Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties. In April, the foundation will hold its annual scholarship luncheon.

"The theme for this year is 'Today's Economy Impacts Tomorrow's Graduates," Snowberger said. "It's a perfect description of what we're dealing with."

Arellano said the ACC Foundation has opened doors for her that would have been shut because of her educational background. She maintains a 3.7 GPA and has been recommended for a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship to transfer to the University of Denver in the fall to get her bachelors degree in sociology and masters in social work.

"My full-time job now is to get an education that will get me back on the road to supporting my family," she said.

Contributed by: Erin Feese/YourHub.com on 2/16/2009

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