Wendy Tokuda, speaking with Stanford's Workshop on Poverty, Inequality, and Education

Wendy Tokuda will be speaking about “Students Rising Above,” a nationally recognized television series she has spearheaded for over sixteen years on low-income, San Francisco Bay Area teenagers who have overcome great adversity. A majority of these kids live below the federal poverty line and are growing up without their parents. About half have been homeless at some point. Many have been abandoned, neglected or abused. Many have witnessed regular violence or drug abuse in their home or neighborhood. But they have figured out that education is their one great hope—and for them, this means going to college.

“Students Rising Above” has won national and local awards including a Peabody Award, a National Emmy for Public Service, the National Sigma Delta Chi award, the National Broadcasters Association Education Foundation’s “Service to America Award,” the Edward R. Murrow RTNDA award, and multiple local awards including two local Emmys.

When Tokuda began these profiles, she and the Community Relations Manager at her network KRON, Javier Valencia, set up a scholarship fund through a local foundation and asked people to help send these kids to college. Viewers sent money, and kept asking to do more: to volunteer, mentor, take the kids shopping. Eventually they formed a board, which later became a non-profit. This non-profit is now a multi-million dollar organization (studentsrisingabove.org) which will send one hundred new freshmen to college this year. Its commitment has grown to include seeing these students through to graduation. Towards this end, the program provides a professional advisor, a volunteer mentor, a computer, bedding and dorm supplies, a summer internship program, financial aid workshops, medical and dental care, and financial aid.

Learn more at:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/category/students-rising-above/

http://www.studentsrisingabove.org