In the first week of February, the University of the Pacific came to Stagg to help students get involved with their Community Involvement Program (CIP). CIP is a meant for first generation students who want to go to college by giving them financial support, housing on campus, access to tutoring, and more. However, it requires students to apply in order to get in, and it has certain requirements. Being a Stockton resident is one of those requirements, meaning that those who live outside the city aren’t able to apply for the program.
Brandon Alvarez, the head counselor at Stagg, has said that he holds the CIP Program in high regard, and values the work that they do for the community.“The work they do aligns seamlessly with our counseling goals and college-going culture.” Alvarez said that it was an easy decision to have the CIP program come to our school.
Grant Billingslea, one of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers here at Stagg, also had high praises to sing about the CIP program. The scholarships they grant are “life-changing because a lot of students that we work with wouldn’t be able to afford to go to a private university like UOP if there wasn’t a program like CIP.” Billingslea has also stated that in the past, UOP has awarded over 40 scholarships for the program and stated “usually for a full CIP scholarship [UOP gives] $200,000. And it essentially equates to free tuition, books, housing, and whatever else you need to attend the University of Pacific.”
Peer Leaders Uniting Students (PLUS) Adviser Shoual Chang also works heavily with the members of the CIP Program, and finds them pleasant to work with. She has also said that the group acts similarly to PLUS, with both “helping students feel better about themselves.” The CIP program does activities and discussions with the students who are participating in the group.
In addition, former Stagg student and current CIP Member Eli Ceja stated that the program encourages its members to work closely with one another on projects, like a family. Along with stating for any people who wished to join that they should be themselves, saying to “let your actions speak for who you are, let them be proof of the compassion you hold within!” Ceja also stated that the CIP Program requires time and effort to be a part of, along with making the proper choices and setting aside time in order to be a part of it.
Current 9th grader and CIP member Shauna Woods also believes the program is beneficial, stating that she chose to be a member of the group because “I think that it has very good teaching especially for me, someone who has very good grades.” And enjoys being taught by the program, stating that they were “very helpful and understand me and they’re just fun people to be around and fun people to be educated by.”
The CIP Program still comes every single Thursday after-school in Chang’s room, R-20. Students interested in supporting the community are invited to join the program.
