San Francisco Sun

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today joined City leaders to celebrate this year’s Bridge to Excellence Scholarship Program recipients. The Mayor’s scholarship provides financial resources to graduating high school seniors to help them overcome the expenses they face when attending college.  

Since launching the Bridge to Excellence Scholarship in 2019, Mayor Breed has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarship funding to 76 students.  This year saw a record number of 168 applications, and 15 students from across eight high schools were selected to receive $5,000 each over two years in scholarship awards.     

This fall, all recipients will attend four-year colleges, including University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, San Francisco State University, and University of Southern California, among several others.   

"I congratulate this year’s scholarship recipients and commend them for their determination to pursue higher education despite their financial challenges,” said Mayor Breed. “Education is a stepping stone to success and it shouldn’t be a privilege for those who can afford it. I look forward to seeing what our next generation of leaders will accomplish.”  

According to data from the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) for academic calendar year 2021-2022, 52% of the approximately 16,000 high school students who attend SFUSD schools are socio-economically disadvantaged. This is not inclusive of Charter schools.   

This year, 60% of the scholarship recipients identify as female, and 100% identify as students of color.   

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants were required to be a SFUSD or San Francisco Charter high school student graduating in spring 2023 with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20. Additionally, applicants must have demonstrated a significant financial need and be the first in their families to attend a four-year college.   

“I am so proud to be a part of Mayor Breed’s unwavering dedication to transforming the lives of our public-school students,” said Dr. Maria Su, Executive Director of the City’s Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF). "DCYF is committed to equity and access and aims to empower these amazing young people with the resources they need to pursue their dreams and breakdown the barriers to success.”   

Testimonials from some of this year’s scholarship recipients  

“Being a first-generation student and coming from a low-income household, I will be the one responsible for my finances; the support I would be receiving would take a weight off my back.” - Audrey Bryant, Graduate of Thurgood Marshall High School    

“The Bridge to Excellence Scholarship will help me further my educational goal of pursuing an Environmental Science degree at UC Berkeley, and my ultimate career goal of making a dent in the fight for environmental justice worldwide.”   -Raphael Alcantara, Graduate of Lowell High School   

Funding for the scholarship comes from the City’s Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. Furthermore, the Mayor’s Office partners with the San Francisco Education Fund to provide administrative support, manage the online application process, and distribute scholarship awards to the recipients.   

Original source can be found here.