Helping children not give up on their education
By MARISA MATA, Student Writer
In March, Choices in Learning National Foundation made a record $108,000 donation to the Fresno State Alumni Association’s scholarship fund. The donation went towards the endowed Dante Simi Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the co-founder of Learn 4 Life Charter Schools and Fresno State graduate, which has since received an additional $50,000 in donations.
When Simi attended Fresno State in the late 1950s into the early ’60s, he served as junior class president, president of the Sigma Chi fraternity and developed a deep love for his alma mater.
“I’m very proud to be an alumnus. [Fresno State] is a jewel in all of the wonderful campuses of the Cal State system,” Simi said.
After graduating and working with corporate businesses for 38 years, Simi was asked to help raise money to start a charter school. Once the school was established, Simi watched the first class graduate; and that’s when he decided to leave behind corporate business and stay involved in education.
“It was addicting! We were doing wonderful things.”
There are currently 84 Learn 4 Life campuses spanning from Sacramento to San Diego, with more than 34,000 students.
The purpose of Learn 4 Life Charter Schools is to keep kids from giving up on their education.
“Our students have adult responsibilities — taking care of kids or [some other family member] or they start working at a young age — and can’t go to school for 30 hours a week, so our schools offer them a university model with a high school curriculum. And it’s tough, it takes a lot of determination and self-confidence, but they come here because they want to be here…and we’ve graduated thousands and thousands of students.”
“A majority [of our students] can’t afford college, and this [scholarship] is an opportunity to help children throughout California graduate high school and to a good university. I want them to go [to Fresno State] because I think it’s the best, the best of the California State Universities.”
