MESA Receives Major Grant to Educate Local Families on Financial Aid and Money Management
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2004
CONTACT: Lisa Lillefjeld, Public Affairs Intern
Tel: 530-898-4143
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
MESA Receives Major Grant to Educate Local Families on Financial Aid and Money Management
The California State University, Chico Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) Program has been given a $74,287 grant to assist high school students and their families in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ).
CSU, Chico’s MESA Program is the only MESA program in the state to receive the grant from the EdFund, a nonprofit corporation founded by the California Student Aid Commission in 1997.
“This grant will educate many high school students and parents about how to fill out financial aid forms for both state and federal aid,” said Paul Villegas, CSU, Chico MESA director. “Many students throughout the North Valley will also learn about money management and how to construct a budget when they leave home to go away to school.”
MESA representatives will be traveling to high schools in the North State to host lunch hour workshops with in-class assistance to provide the students with knowledge about scholarships.
CSU, Chico’s MESA program serves more than 270 students by bolstering academic skills needed to pursue mathematics- and science-based studies in college and by providing support for them to pursue technology-based careers.
Last fall, CSU, Chico’s MESA program received the third of three prestigious National Science Foundation grants for scholarships to engineering/math and computer science students. The approximately $800,000 received from NSF is one of the largest scholarship programs in the university’s history.
MESA is in its 31st year of service. The program serves more than 22,000 California students. It is one of the oldest and most successful college-preparation programs in the country for educationally disadvantaged students. In 2002, California MESA received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
In addition to MESA, CSU, Chico serves more than 1,300 area students through its federally funded Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search and Student Support Services programs. All of the programs help high-potential students overcome economic, social and class barriers to pursue an education beyond high school.
For more information on the EdFund grant or the MESA program, please contact Villegas at 530-898-4017.
###