More than 3,200 students are enrolled at Coral Gables Senior High School, and about 90 percent are Hispanics, blacks or other ethnic and racial groups. (Of the 90 percent, about three-fourths qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.)
About 2,200 of the students take AP courses, 800 are enrolled in the IB program, 87 percent of the senior class graduates each year, and 94 percent of the graduates attend a two- or four-year college.
Matt Martinez, Islands of Cocoplum president and the chair of its philanthropy committee, said his group has started an initiative to further develop the students. The committee teamed with the high school and the Coral Gables Community Foundation to help fund the program.
The goal is to help local, high-performing students attend college and gain experience in their chosen field of study, Martinez said.
“Our philanthropy committee created a unique offering that couples financial scholarships along with summer internships so students are able to attend the university of their choice while gaining valuable work experience with business leaders who reside in Islands of Cocoplum,” he said.
“There are numerous business leaders who call Islands of Cocoplum home, and we are proactively connecting our community leaders to these young people so they may gain valuable vocational experience at some of the most prestigious businesses throughout South Florida.”
The internships, he said, could potentially lead to full-time employment.
“I am confident that we have established a philanthropic model that could be replicated by any neighborhood or homeowners association that wants to give back to their local community in a meaningful way,” Martinez said. The goal is to raise $100,000. All board members of the committee have contributed and the community is holding a series of events and tennis tournaments to raise scholarship funds.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/coral-gables/article227224189.html