In honor of a quarter-century of empowering students, enriching the community and advancing academic excellence, Santiago Canyon College hosted its 25th Anniversary Gala in November, an event that raised a net $124,000 in support of the Santiago Canyon College Foundation.
As the first-ever gala hosted by SCC, the event concluded a yearlong celebration marking 25 years as an independently accredited institution and represents the largest single fundraising effort in school history.
“This was a big moment for us, particularly, not only because of the 25-year anniversary, but we’ve never raised this kind of money before,” said SCC Foundation Board Chair Betty Valencia, who also served as emcee of the gala. “So it really sets up an exciting future for us.”
Hosted at The Richland in Orange and presented by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, more than 170 supporters, community partners and alumni gathered to commemorate the college’s 25-year legacy and support its future.
Among the alumni in attendance, SCC honored three distinguished graduates for their professional achievements: Dr. Heidy Sasvin, a family physician with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange; Jarad Hildenbrand, Orange city manager; and Phillip Wu, an attorney at NVIDIA specializing in global data protection compliance.
The evening included a live auction led by an auctioneer, along with a paddle raise during which guests pledged donations in real time in support of the SCC Foundation.
Phillip Wu; Sasvin, Hildenbrand and Wu were alumni honorees at the event. (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications)
As part of the event, current SCC student Sara Gasca was recognized and shared how she overcame severe childhood challenges and found a second chance for education through SCC.
With an upbringing marked by drugs and abuse, followed by dropping out of college shortly after high school, Gasca never imagined she would have another opportunity to pursue higher education.
Now a 30-year-old mother of twins, she maintains a 3.89 GPA, is pursuing a degree in geology and has held multiple internships with NASA. She credits the support of SCC staff and professors with helping to change her life.
“It’s a story of triumph, a story we want to hear and really highlight because it shows the power, not just of education,” said Valencia. “Education without the support would not be what it is.”
The funds raised from the gala will be able to establish a new scholarship endowment, the Strenger Vasquez Legacy of Innovation Fund, named after SCC former presidents Dean Strenger, the college’s first president, and Juan Vasquez, SCC’s longest-serving president. The newly established fund will award scholarships annually, expanding the number of students who receive assistance.
“Being one of the youngest community colleges in Orange County, it’s been our goal to keep increasing that dollar amount because the students still have a real need for financial support,” said Kathy Jennison, executive director of SCC’s Office of College Advancement and Foundation. “We’re trying to raise as much funding as we can to help students like Sara.”
The SCC Foundation also supports several on-campus programs and organizations, such as the Hawks Nest Basic Needs Center, the SCC Speech and Debate team and the SCC Model United Nations team.
“We want to be able to have enough so that we can say yes to as many people, as many students and as many faculty as possible, so that these programs can really keep excelling,” Valencia said. “We want to make sure that we keep students as engaged as possible without any kind of boundaries or limitations in terms of finance.”
Valencia, who has served on the SCC Foundation board for seven years, including four as board chair, is also an SCC alumna, along with several other board members. She holds a deep commitment to community colleges, as her educational journey took her from earning a GED to earning a PhD, an achievement she says would not have been possible without her start on SCC’s campus.
“There used to be this idea that SCC was a really well-kept secret, but we do not want to be a secret,” Valencia said. “We want people to know who we are. We want them to know what we do. And we want them to know why we are different.”
“We might be a small campus,” Valencia said, “but we are kind of a big deal. And we are a big deal because we show how much we care for the students.”
Thanks to the outpouring of support, the funds raised at the gala will allow SCC to leave a legacy of enabling students to achieve their educational and personal dreams.