[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5495]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING 10,000 DEGREES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2016

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 10,000 Degrees in 
honor of its 35th anniversary. A nonprofit located in Marin County, 
California, 10,000 Degrees has worked to get thousands of underserved 
students into and through college.
  Founded in 1981, 10,000 Degrees has awarded approximately $56 million 
in scholarships during its three and a half decades, and has over 
18,000 alumni of the program. Participants come from low-income 
households, and approximately 90 percent are the first in their 
families to attend college. Currently, the program serves 4,500 family 
members and students annually--nearly 90 percent of whom are people of 
color--and facilitates millions in scholarships and non-loan financial 
aid.
  Not only does 10,000 Degrees help pay for higher education, they are 
committed to preparing students for college success. With early college 
awareness training, financial aid counseling, and mentoring services, 
the organization ensures that over 80 percent of their students 
complete college--nearly three times the national rate of low income 
students, and significantly higher than both the national average and 
the average of students from affluent families.
  10,000 Degrees has been an effective organization since its origin, 
with a wide-ranging impact that has touched thousands of lives in Marin 
County. Mr. Speaker, it is fitting to honor and thank 10,000 Degrees on 
their 35th anniversary for their impressive efforts toward making 
college accessible to all, and to wish them success in the decades to 
come.

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