History
Brief History of Cal SOAP:
Cal-SOAP was initiated as a state wide effort by the Californian State Legislature in 1978 to increase postsecondary educational opportunities to low income and first generation students. The administrative entity who oversees Cal SOAP statewide is the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). They also administer the Cal Grant program in California. In 1997 the Los Angeles Consortium was formed to help with the commissions outreach efforts in the greater Los Angeles area. Our mission is to provide support to underrepresented students and their parents in schools and the community, in order to increase participation in post-secondary education and access to academic and financial aid opportunities.The program's vision is to continue improving project performance at the present designated sites, while planning to increase services at needed educational institutions in the central Los Angeles geographic area with the possibility of creating satellite centers.
Some activities of the program are:
- Disseminating Financial Aid, Default Prevention, college requirements and California post secondary system information and other educational updated information.
- Disseminating educational information to underrepresented students and their parents from each of the schools serviced.
- Recruiting students that fit the required qualifications (i.e. first generation, low income)
- Influence the increase of educational skill of the students we service.
- Expose students to various university campuses through tours.
- Promote the program in the community.
- Build productive partnerships with the schools and educational entities
we service.
- Employ undergraduate/graduate students as tutors/advisors.
- Maintain ongoing contacts with parents of student participants.
- Create awareness of the possibilities of educational opportunities.