Our mission ➤
Increase the community college graduation and transfer rates of economically disadvantaged youth and adults living in Los Angeles County.
About
Ascending Lights iGraduate
iGraduate is a non-sectarian outreach program of the Ascending Lights Leadership Network. For the past twenty-eight years the Network has provided community college scholarships and mentoring benefits for more than 100 students recruited from local churches. Over 80 % of Network scholarship recipients have successfully completed community college. The vast majority have gone on to graduate from four-year universities.
The strength of the Network is its refined mentoring system that includes an academic planning tool that is called the Road Map to Success. This tool streamlines a student’s community college path toward a specific career goal. Rather than a student spending an average of 6 years or more in order to obtain their degree or certificate, Network students generally obtain their degrees or certificates in a little less than four years. And most of our students successfully balance their community college careers with part time employment.
For many disadvantaged individuals, attending a local community college is the first step to climbing the ladder of economic self-sufficiency.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, with a community college degree, a person’s chances of employment increase by nearly 50%. Average annual income for individuals possessing an Associate Degree is 20% higher than those having only a high school diploma. Over 70% of students enrolled in California public colleges are attending community colleges. Half of the students who graduated from California State universities began their education at community colleges.
Unfortunately, for many who live in the low-income urban areas of Los Angeles, the dream of stepping onto the ladder of economic success is virtually impossible. Urban public schools in California are notorious for their failure to prepare students for success in higher education. Therefore, for many urban high school graduates, community college represents their last-best opportunity to prepare themselves for jobs of the future and for continued university studies.
In recent years, the California has witnessed an increased number of underserved community college students who either spend too much time in school, or become so discouraged, that they drop out without earning a degree. The California Institute for Higher Education and Policy recently reported that only 22% of Latino students and 26% of African American students earned any sort of degree or certificate or transferred after six years. In general, seventy percent of community college students seeking degrees did not attain them or transfer within six years. After six years 85% of those remaining eventually dropped out.
The reasons for students’ failure to complete their community college studies are multi-layered. One factor points to public high schools not adequately preparing students for college level studies, especially in the low-income urban setting. Eighty five percent of students entering community college need remedial English courses. Seventy five percent need remedial math instruction.