Event Archive: A Latin Experience - Ohlone College Foundation
More than $30K raised for LAB at ‘A Latin Experience’
Thomas Hsu, Correspondent.
Thursday, April 6, 2006—Reprinted from The Monitor.
More than 300 community members gathered Friday night for an evening of wine tasting and dinner punctuated by performances of mariachi, flamenco, Portuguese folk dancing, and ballet folklórico; they raised more than $30,000 for the LAB project.
Beyond the festivities and vi-brant, twirling dresses, “A Latin Experience” was about celebrating and raising funds for Ohlone College’s Learning Alliance for the Biosciences project.
A member of Newark Memorial High School's "Ballet Folklorico" troupe and a scholarship recipient twirls at Friday at "A Latin Experience.".
—Photo courtesy of Thomas Hsu.
The keynote speaker, Assembly member John Dutra, explained how the LAB project benefits students who come from less privileged backgrounds, using his own immigrant family’s struggle with poverty to stress the importance of giving support to underrepresented populations that have traditionally been overlooked by the government.
The program targets those students who may not have the resources or otherwise consider college a viable option.
Among the attendees were six Newark Memorial High School students who are in the LAB program, as well as their families.
The students from this pilot school were honored with Pioneer Scholarships presented by Ohlone President Dr. Douglas Treadway and Ohlone Foundation Director Dr. Josephine Ong-Hawkins.
The scholarships go toward the students’ tuition at Ohlone after completing the biotechnology and personal development classes in high school.
Donors helped raise funds for ten $250 scholarships, and Fremont Bank matched the scholarships to make them worth $500 each.
Realtors from Prudential Realty also pledged a percentage of their commissions to ensure that the LAB project will have continued support.
The largest donor was GE Security, which gave $3,000 and 40 laptops, which the students will keep for the duration of their time in the LAB project.
Close to 70 Ohlone staff and faculty members also came out to show their support for the biotechnology department’s efforts. Together, the corporations and community raised thousands of dollars to fund the project. All the food, desert, wine and entertainment at the event were also donated by members of the community.
Dean of Math, Science and Technology Dr. Ron Quinta and Professor Joe Zermeno spoke about how the LAB program is funded through a National Science Founda-tion grant to help increase diversity in the science professions.
A debut presentation of the LAB program’s informational video, hosted by former ABC news anchor Rigo Chacon, revealed how Ohlone’s biotechnology classrooms work closely with the Silicon Valley’s biotechnology industry to design practical curriculums that train students to do the jobs that the industry needs.
The event was sponsored by the Ohlone College Foundation, which exists to bring the community together toward providing more opportunities for its students.
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