Grantee Spotlight
Foundation for a College Education
Preparing for a College Education and Beyond
An integral part of the Palo Alto community, Foundation for a College Education (FCE) envisions a community where all students have the education, skills, resources, and opportunities to lead lives of fulfillment and purpose, catalyzing change in the community.
Its founders, Christopher Roe and Glenn Singleton, created FCE in 1995 to provide a no-cost college advising resource to students in the mid-Peninsula. Helping to combat the disparities of resources available to lower-income and minority students in the area.
Now, over 30 years later, FCE’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Wells, is advancing that mission. Her lived experience as a first-generation college graduate, a former prosecuting attorney representing children who’ve experienced neglect, and an education policy advocate heavily informs her approach and passion for FCE’s mission
“When the opportunity presented itself to join FCE, I jumped on it. It was really a win-win situation for me. I get to use all of the tools, training, and resources that I had acquired over my years as a practicing attorney, but also I am able to work on a different level. I enjoy doing more programming, and working more long-term with students and their families,” says Wells. “ I really appreciate being a part of this community and being able to support the students and families in a way that will really impact the trajectory of their lives.”
FCE currently serves first-generation, economically disadvantaged students of color from the local community starting in 9th grade through college, offering tutoring several days a week, SAT prep courses, college tours, academic counseling and advising, financial aid, counseling, and much more. All of this aims to ensure that their students are not only prepared for their journey into college but also supported throughout their college years.
But one of the most important parts of their program does not lie in the academic education, but rather the model itself, which emphasizes a holistic approach that exposes students to all aspects of life and gives them a supportive environment to learn and expand their knowledge.
“So the secret is really focusing on what the students need. Having that holistic approach to serving both students and their families, and having a team that's really very capable and knowledgeable on what the students need and how to support them.”
This holistic approach is evident in the workshops and trainings on financial literacy, career exposure and readiness, social emotional wellbeing, cultural fieldtrips, and parent engagement. In fact, parents meet monthly to learn how to best guide and support their children with self-advocacy, financial aid and preparing to go away to college.
In its 30 years, 100 percent of FCE’s high school senior students graduate and are admitted into a four-year college or university. In addition, almost 95 percent of their students meet A-G requirements for admission into the UC and Cal State systems, and the college students’ six-year graduation rate is 85 percent.These numbers are no small feat, as many of their students are the first in their families to graduate with a college degree.
“I understand the challenges. I know what it's like, and I know that a lot of first-gen students struggle with the financial barriers and the imposter syndrome,” says Wells. “There's just so much that you carry with you when you're trying to complete a college degree. I want to make sure that all of our first-gen students know that, first of all, they're more than capable, and second, that they understand the return on this investment. That their future opportunities and their income levels increase exponentially once they have that degree, and three, it takes a community effort to help each student achieve their goals. ”
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“I'm forever hopeful. I lean on the fact that we have some of the best and brightest students in our community. They just need an opportunity. And so that's what keeps me going. That's what gets me up every day. I fight with everything that I have, all the skills and tools and resources in my tool belt to be able to get the students what they need.”
Foundation for a College Fund appreciates the Palo Alto community who have been supporting their organization for a number of years. They encourage anyone to join their community in supporting their students—from becoming a tutor, attending their March to Success Celebration, to joining their board, there are many ways to help lift up Foundation for a College Fund. Learn more.
