San Diego Gateway to College and Career students at San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) will be treated to a Thanksgiving meal from Congressman Scott Peters at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 2019 at the Educational Cultural Complex (4343 Ocean View Blvd. San Diego, CA 92113).

“SDCE serves large populations of students who come from low-income families and the holidays can be an especially rough time for them. We are fortunate to have community partners such as the generosity of Congressman Peters,” said SDCE President, Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D. “We are looking forward to Friday. Fifty students already RSVP’d.”

San Diego Gateway to College and Career targets Opportunity Youth ages 18-24, who are not enrolled in school and are not currently working. SDCE has the only Gateway-model in the nation that includes one to one case management and experiential learning with paid work experience for Opportunity Youth. Students complete their high school diploma, apply for an internship, and participate in an intensive 40-hour college and career readiness course to help determine and create viable pathways to a career and/or college.

“Food insecurity isn't a one-time problem," said President Turner Cortez. “Opportunities like this and SDCE's institution wide efforts to increase access to basic needs specifically supports one of SDCE’s Seven Pillars: food security.” The school also hosts a free monthly public fresh food distribution, Farm to Family Fair, for 40,000 annually enrolled students and the Southeastern San Diego community.

Following SDCE, Gateway students are guaranteed a San Diego Promise scholarship, which provides two-year tuition/fees for community college, plus $500 per year for books, in partnership with the Jacobs Center for Innovation and the James Irvine Foundation.