“I feel like the sky’s the limit for me, I wanted a better future for myself and the scholarship went a long way towards helping me reach that goal. ”

When Latif entered foster are at age 16, he was alone and disconnected from his family. Planning for his future felt like an impossible task. But he was determined to achieve a better life for himself. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at DeAnza Community College.

Even with the financial aid he received, he wasn’t able to make ends meet as a fulltime student in Silicon Valley. Thanks to Pivotal’s scholarship fund, Latif had money to help offset expenses like housing, books, and transportation to and from campus. His Pivotal coach helped him navigate the community college system, which can be tricky when you’re going at it alone. And when his internship seminar class required heavy writing, Latif asked Pivotal to pair him with a tutor to get the writing support he needed. With Pivotal’s help, Latif was able to focus his energy towards earning strong grades and meeting the transfer requirements for a 4-year university.