Dear Moreno Valley residents,
In addition to serving as your Mayor, I am a professional educator, and was once a “starving college student” myself. I’m well aware of the Earn vs. Learn dilemma many college students face: wanting to finish college but needing to take a low-wage job to try to pay for it, and then getting stuck in the low-wage job and never going back to school. I’m trying to change that.
The City of Moreno Valley is partnering with Moreno Valley College to offer students a monthly stipend to help them stay in school. Starting this fall, the “MoVaLEARNS – Mayor’s Challenge” will provide Moreno Valley College Career & Technical Education (CTE) students in good standing with a $250-a-month stipend for eight months – a total of $2,000 for the school year. That $250 extra income a month could easily be what makes it possible for many students to stay in school and break the Earn vs. Learn cycle.
Increasing college completion rates has many direct effects on our local economy. An educated workforce attracts businesses looking to relocate. More well-paying local jobs translate into more money being earned and spent right here in Moreno Valley. More residents are then able to afford better housing. That reduces the number of transient families, which has a direct effect on student academic achievement and the overall performance of our K-12 schools, which, in turn, improves the image of our city, and creates a stronger community.
The more we do to help students get the education they need, the more we create an overall upward spiral of success for our entire community. The MoVaLEARNS – Mayor’s Challenge is an important step in that direction.
Moreno Valley College Career & Technical Education students interested in applying for the MoVaLEARNS – Mayor’s Challenge stipend should email jackiem@moval.org to join the interest list or contact the City’s Economic Development Department at 951-413-3460. You’ll be doing something good for yourself and our community!