The Cal Parents Fund

Scholarships make a life-changing difference

By Amy E. Cranch

Environmental design student Nicole Walter, pursuing her degree with the help of a scholarship, works on a model for her architecture class. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Walter)

Spring 2008 | Education and achievement go hand in hand. But what happens when a student is denied the opportunity to go to college? How many gifted scientists, entrepreneurs, or artists are unable to reach their full potential?

At Berkeley, scholarships are the most powerful way to ensure that deserving students can attend the No. 1 public university in the nation. For concerned parents who want to invest in student success, The Cal Parents Fund is a good first stop. Private donations to the fund support campuswide programs that enhance the undergraduate experience. They also can be designated to go to need- and merit-based scholarships, which can make the difference for many students in coming to Cal and staying here as well.

“Scholarships tell students that someone cares about their dreams,” said Eileen Chow, parent of Eugene ’08 and co-chair of the Cal Parents Board. “Sometimes receiving scholarship money is a student’s only chance to access higher education.”

Keeping Cal affordable
For many students, studying at Berkeley is the opportunity of a lifetime. About 30 percent of each freshman class are the first in their families to go to college, and about one-third of all undergraduates come from families whose incomes are less than $40,000 a year. In fact, Berkeley educates more low-income students than all of the Ivy League universities combined —
students who not only meet Berkeley’s rigorous academic standards, but who have overcome financial obstacles to attend.

“We represent the conduit into mainstream society for extraordinarily talented people from modest backgrounds who could never imagine going to Harvard or Yale,” said Chancellor Robert Birgeneau in an that every single qualified person in California, regardless of their financial means, can get the same education at Berkeley that they would get at an elite private university.”

Federal and state financial aid programs are critical for students from low-income families, but, thanks largely to private donations, more than 8,400 undergraduates received a total of $40.5 million in scholarships last year.

A boost to reach a goal
Nicole Walter ’09, who is studying architecture in the College of Environmental Design, is representative of many Berkeley scholarship recipients. She strived to do her best throughout high school and yearned to go to Cal. But one thing impeded her pursuit — the cost. No one in her family had been to college before, and she didn’t know how she would get there herself.

“I knew I had no money for college,” she said, “and that my mom — as much as she wants to — cannot give any money to my education or to such extra expenses as architecture supplies, room and board, and books. Everything I do is funded by scholarships, paid work, or loans.”

Walter is thriving today. She has received various awards and scholarships and is now actively involved across campus.

 “I am experiencing life at its best,” she said. “I have never had such fantastic opportunities available to me — like working at a research facility or studying abroad.”

Walter said that, simply put, her scholarships have changed her life. Now, she plans to attend graduate school to get an M.A. in architecture.

A critical need
Giving to The Cal Parents Fund or to scholarships is critical to Berkeley students, especially those like Walter who can flourish with a financial helping hand. For Berkeley to remain a preeminent institution — with a public mission to provide the finest education to all deserving students, no matter what their income — it relies on private contributions on top of public support, from people just like you who know the value of a Berkeley education.

Whether you want to expand innovative learning programs for all undergraduates through The Cal Parents Fund or are eager to invest in a young person’s future through scholarship support, your gift will help the campus and parent volunteers meet the goal of raising $1.6 million this year for The Cal Parents Fund.

To make a gift, visit calparents.berkeley.edu/gifts, or call 510/642-4138.