College Access Plan Helps Future Cypress Student and Wildfire Survivor During Time of Need

Pasadena High School senior Alejandra Surias saw most of her possessions vanish or become unusable last January when she fled her Altadena home with her family during a wildfire, according to a post by the California Community Foundation. Now, with the help of College Access Plan (CAP), she is preparing to attend Cypress College in the fall.

Pasadena-based nonprofit CAP provides free services to help students in need prepare for college, starting with students as young as fifth graders. CAP Program Coordinator Karla Ramos had worked with Alejandra for two years, and reached out to her after the fire, much to Alejandra’s relief.

CAP helped connect Alejandra’s family to resources, such as grocery gift cards, suitcases, and financial assistance. In addition, Karla connected Alejandra to a future at Cypress College, where she will attend in the fall as a Diagnostic Medical Sonography student.

The California Community Foundation has supported CAP with grants totaling $425,000 since 2022. Like CAP, many other CCF grantees have also had to make wildfire recovery a top priority since January.

Alejandra appreciates the CAP staff’s work in motivating her from a slow beginning in high school to building confidence, leadership skills, and a path to career in Health Science.

“I love this program so much,” she told the California Community Foundation. “They’ve been really super duper helpful and have given me so much support.”

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