GUILLERMO VALENZUELA, M.D. AND THE "DREAM PROJECT"
In the fall of 2007, Dr. Guillermo Valenzuela, Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, approached Randy and Dr. Manuela Sosa with the idea of developing and funding a program for at risk high school youth that would encourage them to complete high school, graduate and pursue a college degree. Motivated by memories of his impoverished childhood in Chile, Dr. Valenzuela knew that education was the key to opportunity and success. Randy and Dr. Sosa knew exactly where to launch the program their Alma Mater, Colton High School.
Working with administrators and counselors, the program was named the Valenzuela Dream Project, and 30 academically-challenged juniors were chosen to participate in the project. These students had the potential to complete high school if they could make up their credits and raise their grade point averages. Over the course of their junior and senior years, students received extra tutoring after school, enrolled in summer school, and took extra classes before and after school to make up missed credits. They were able to meet on a regular basis with their counselor, Mr. Paul Aranda, who encouraged and motivated them. The Dream Project students attended motivational presentations, as well as workshops on college and financial aid applications, and were given the opportunity to job shadow medical professionals at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Students took field trips to San Bernardino Valley College, Chaffey College, and Cal State University San Bernardino, and were exposed to opportunities for attending college and majors. Parental participation was critical to the success of the students, and they were very much involved in the program. At the end of their senior year, Dream Project students who fulfilled their graduation requirements were awarded a $500 stipend, as well as $150 to help pay for their graduation expenses, all generously funded by Dr. Valenzuela. The first cohort of the Valenzuela Project was a success - 30 students started the program, 5 moved out of the district, and all of the remaining 25 students graduated. One of the students who went straight to college is an IESF scholarship recipient this year, maintaining a 3.7 average in nursing. She writes, The Dream project has meant a lot to me . . . I saw that you took the time to come and tell us your story so I was determined to do my best not to disappoint you . . . I have enrolled in Valley College . . . and I want to be a nurse. I want to go to Cal Poly for my B.S.N. Another student writes, The Dream Project motivated me to graduate and to attend college. Dr. Valenzuela believed in me, no one believed in me the way he did. I thank him for having faith in me. Being involved in the program for two years has changed my life. I have become a better student . . . and also a person who believes everything is possible. A second group of 36 students began the program in the fall of 2009, and are now completing their junior year. They will receive the encouragement and support they need from IESF, their parents, their counselors, and the administration to complete their high Colton High - Class of 2011 school degree as the Class of 2011.