Divorcing youth from excess screen time, gangs, violence and drugs through the power of Soccer and Trade School programs offered by SAC
I recently partnered with Santa Ana College (SAC) to kickstart a new program serving underprivileged youth throughout Orange County, called “Kicking into College.” In this initiative, SAC and I will work to identify some of the most underprivileged students in all of Orange County and provide them with a full-ride scholarship at SAC. The ‘Kicking into College’, Kanatsiz Scholars Program scholarship will focus on supporting high-achieving, at-risk students in creating an on-going pathway to continue their educational journey at SAC and beyond. These strategic, high-impact awards are designed to increase enrollment and completion in many of the career pathways provided at SAC through scholarships, degrees and certificates.
In addition to providing life-changing, full-ride scholarships to a targeted group of incoming students, this program will provide critical networking and mentorship connections with local business leaders and will utilize soccer as the driving force to positively impact their quality of life. Special focus will be placed on engaging and recruiting young people based locally in the communities surrounding SAC who have a high propensity to be exposed to gang involvement and substance abuse issues.