Guadalupe Center celebrates Tutor Corps Class of 2024
The Floridant/10270529

NAPLES, Fla. - Floridant -- From FGCU to the Ivy League, dozens of soon-to-be high school graduates from Immokalee are poised to begin their higher education journeys – and once again, Guadalupe Center's Tutor Corps Class of 2024 can count on millions of dollars in financial support from community supporters, college partnerships and their own hard work.

The 31 Tutor Corps graduates collectively earned $4.3 million in scholarship and grant offers to attend institutions such as Florida Gulf Coast University, the University of Florida, Columbia, Northeastern, Stanford and more; one graduate is enlisting in the U.S. Marines Corps.

Since 2004, every Tutor Corps student has completed high school and been accepted to college, with 94% ultimately earning a college degree.

Critically, Tutor Corps students work as tutors with younger students attending Guadalupe Center's After-School Program for students in grades K-2, earning money to help pay their college costs while also paving the path forward for future generations, including younger siblings.

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"They have always pushed me to keep going, to never give up, to be my best inside and outside the classroom," said Geraldi Sanabria, who plans to study nursing at Roberts Wesleyan College. "Guadalupe Center has supported my family and me through every step of the way."

Sanabria served as class speaker when the nonprofit celebrated its Class of 2024 at an April 26 commencement ceremony at Vineyards Country Club, with parents, mentors, community partners and staff assembled to recognize the seniors' impressive accomplishments:

• Accrued Guadalupe Center Scholarship Funding: $426,000
• Total Scholarships and Grants: $4.3 million
• Average GPA: 4.14
• Percent Graduating High School: 100
• Students Earning College Credit: 30 of 31
• First-Generation College Students: 29 of 31

Come fall, Tutors Corps students will pursue majors in computer science, education, biochemistry, biology, business, psychology, accounting, health care administration, civil and mechanical engineering, forensic science, nursing, economics and other fields.

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Some are electing to stay close to home, attending FGCU or Florida SouthWestern State College, while others will attend Florida State University, the University of South Florida and other public and private institutions within Florida.

In addition, several Tutor Corps students will enroll at some of the out-of-state institutions that have formal partnerships with Guadalupe Center: Arcadia University, Augustana College, North Central College, Roberts Wesleyan and Saint John's University.

For Stephanie Mendoza-Moreno, the dinner took place just days before her deadline to select a destination from among her top three choices: Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University. The winner? UPenn.

Those three schools were among 18 elite institutions to admit Mendoza-Moreno, including Amherst, Duke, Notre Dame, Tufts and Washington University in St. Louis.