The L.A.S.E.R. fund explained

Greetings, everyone.

You've reached the blog of Paul Pinza, the Dean of Language Arts at Chabot College. I joined the college in June 2023 after spending ten years as an administrator in public high school districts. 

I've established the L.A.S.E.R. fund as the fundraising arm for our Language Arts division. This stands for Language Arts Student Excellence and Resilience, and it has two purposes:

First, we provide over $4,000 in scholarships every year to students across our division - from declared majors to tutors in our Writing & Reading Across the Curricula center to new Chabot scholars who are already shining bright despite the shadows that life often throws over them. 

Chabot is blessed to have the Friends of Chabot College Foundation that annually supplies thousands of dollars of scholarships for our students. It is managed by a separate board, independent of the college's administration and the district's Board of Trustees. And it relies on donations and fundraisers and endowments to continuously support the students' scholarships. This is why no less than half of your LASER fund donations will go to the Foundation for designated Language Arts awards and scholarships for students.

Second, we invest in our students' lived experience while they are studying at Chabot to ensure that they are well-supported by a community that empowers and encourages them. We know that students are more likely to reach their goals if they feel a palpable sense of belonging. Thus, we place the remainder of your LASER donations into a co-curricular account that supports special events to nurture and celebrate our students. Similar to the Foundation, this account takes no direct money from the state budget nor the college's general fund; every single dollar is raised ourselves. From this account, we hold events large and small to keep our students connected and progressing. 

These sessions are informational: talking about writing mini-essays for the UC transfer process or applying for the Associate's degree they just finished. 

They are social: connecting students to our counselor and each other through games and storytelling. 

And they are inspirational: bringing local poets and alumni to the college to show students what's possible in their future and advising them how to get there. At the end of the year, we hold celebrations to highlight how far our students have come.

We are so grateful for all the support we have received from all over our community. 

So while your LASER donation is actually going into two separate accounts, I absolutely believe that these two objectives are intertwined; we empower our college to support students best when we do so holistically, taking care of students' socioemotional needs as well as their academics. The two feed off each other. I explored creating a business account on one of the online platforms, but they want to take a percentage of every transaction. And I don't want your money going anywhere other than to the students and those who support them. This is why the QR code goes to my personal Venmo: so that I can divide the money between the two accounts. In order to maintain accountability, I'll personally send you a letter for tax deduction purpose that includes a breakdown of how much of your donation will go to the Friends of Chabot College, and how much will support the LASER fund. You'll know exactly where each dime landed. And of course, you can add a note on Venmo or contact me directly if you'd like us to divide your donation a specific way. Just ask and we will honor your wishes.

I appreciate your taking the time to learn more about our needs and how we hope to fill them through your support. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions at all. And when you're ready, you can donate here. 

Thank you so much for your support. 

Paul C. Pinza

ppinza@chabotcollege.edu