SOLANA BEACH — Noe Cervantes is just one of many students who have known Casa de Amistad for most of their lives.
From first grade all the way through to his senior year at Canyon Crest Academy, Cervantes passed through the organization’s doors weekly to get some extra help with schoolwork.
And at 19 years old, as Cervantes prepares to start his second year studying electrical engineering at San Diego State University, Casa is still playing an important role in his education.
Casa de Amistad, a nonprofit organization based in Solana Beach, has been providing tutoring services to low-income students across coastal North County for about 20 years. And for the past four years, the organization has been able to award two-year scholarships to Casa students such as Cervantes, who are headed off to college or university.
The “Future Leaders Scholarship” was made possible when Casa received a sizable donation to establish a scholarship fund, according to Executive Director Nicole Mione-Green.
This year, Casa awarded a total of $80,000 to 21 students — 11 of whom are about to start their first year of higher education, and 10 alumni who are headed for their second year. The scholarship has now provided financial assistance to 49 students total since it was established.
In addition to the financial support, Casa also awarded each of the recipients with a new Apple laptop.
Cervantes, who is now approaching his second year of having received scholarship funds, said the scholarship has been “a huge help,” allowing him to chip away at room and board expenses, for example.
To apply for the scholarship, students had to have been with Casa for at least two years. But many of the students, like Cervantes, have been with the organization much longer.
Eight of the 11 graduating students who received the scholarship this year have been attending Casa since as far back as second grade, others since kindergarten, said Mione-Green.
“They’ve really come along and grown up in our program,” she said.
Casa first began as an outreach program hosted by Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. An increasing number of kids in the community were in need of low-cost academic assistance, with many coming from homes where Spanish is the primary language. Parents started approaching their pastor in search of solutions.
As the need for affordable tutoring grew among local families, the program took off, officially becoming a nonprofit in 2001.
“I think that’s why we’re able to make such a big difference, because it really did grow organically to meet a real need,” Mione-Green said.
Casa now serves about 250 students throughout the area, with the help of approximately 250 volunteers. All of the program’s students are from low-income families who might otherwise struggle to afford tutoring services for their children.
The organization’s services vary, providing different levels of enrichment based on the age group. For instance, younger groups will work with a pre-school teacher, learning more social and emotional skills such as self-control. At the kindergarten level, students will start working one-on-one with a volunteer, with different focuses as they grow.
“Tutoring is really the hook, but because they’re meeting with the same person each week, it becomes a mentoring relationship as well,” Mione-Green said. “It’s special, it’s really a neat program.”
Although tutoring is Casa’s core service, the organization has expanded its reach over the years. Casa offers a summer enrichment program, workshops to help students envision their career pathways, and opportunities to increase students’ access to STEM-related activities and technology — to name a few.
For many Casa students, their bond to the organization cultivates a desire to come back and help in whatever way they can. Cervantes said he hopes to return and talk to students about the college application process.
The organization’s staff members also reflect that inherent sense of community — three out of five of Casa’s current staff are Casa “alumni.”
Mione-Green, who has worked with the organization for 13 years, calls it a “really big privilege” to watch Casa students grow, and “see them off on the new part of their journey as young adults.”
“They’re always welcome back,” she said.
Above: This year, 21 current and former Casa de Amistad students received “Future Leaders Scholarships” to help fund their college education. Casa awarded approximately $80,000 in scholarships this year. It is the fourth year Casa has been able to award the scholarship, after the Solana Beach nonprofit received a sizable donation to establish a scholarship fund. Photo courtesy of Casa de Amistad
