Coalinga-Huron-Avenal House  Berkeley, California

    The CHA House at Berkeley is a summer residence for middle school and high school students enrolled in the Academic Talent Development Program sponsored by the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. The program was founded in 1987 by Dr. Nancy Mellor. Dr. Mellor moved to Coalinga in 1984 to teach middle school mathematics and quickly became aware of the lack of educational opportunities for the Hispanic immigrant community. She began the CHA House in order to offer real-world education and socialization to students that rarely had exposure to the world beyond their west-side farming communities. Each year, approximately forty students take part in an intensive six week program that includes advanced placement classes including mathematics, engineering, foreign languages, the internet classroom, creative writing, law, acting, and art.
   

    In addition to academics, social skills and activities are an important part of the program. Horizons are broadened as students take part in University of California campus life and the wide range of experiences available in Berkeley and San Francisco. Examples of these activities are a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, ballroom dance classes, and etiquette classes with practice in a fine restaurant. Other opportunities include attending a major league baseball game, live theater, ice skating, community service, and weekly team-building activities.
   

    The Whitney Foundation has sponsored as many as eight students for a number of years at the CHA House. These students are given the designation of Whitney Scholars. Their progress is followed from year to year and their success is equal to the success of the overall program. Well over ninety percent of the participants in the CHA House program attend and graduate from college. The majority of the college graduates return to the community, work in the helping professions, and some even return to the CHA House program as councilors and leaders. A great indication of the success of the program is that Dr. Mellor’s eventual successor as director, and current president of the board of directors of CHA House is Sabrina Hernandez, one of the original students.
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    Here are a few quotes from letters written by Whitney Scholars.

    “I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to allow me to enrich my education and step forward in my path to success. Thanks to your foundation, I was able to experience what it is like to live in a college-like environment and succeed in it.”
-Ivan Aquayo

    “Because of this, I’m not only ready for college, but I’m ready for life.” - Jesus Cevallos

    “Your generous scholarship made it possible for me to attend
ATDP at Berkeley this summer. The courses I took were Cultural Ethnography, which was very insightful, and Beginning Acting. I know now that study and hard work is very important and that my regular school will now be a lot less difficult.” -Gabriella Mora

    “I live in a community in which there are those who desire to succeed and those that do not. I categorize myself in the group that is dedicated to succeed, however my success not only is the result of my hard work, but it is also a result of the contributions your foundation has bestowed upon me.” -Rahim Ali

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 Spring 2010 Update:

   "Working at Avenal High School as a counselor, I have learned that CHA students have no fear.  They know what they want and how to get it.  As their counselor, I have also learned that I don't fear for them.  I am confident threat they will be okay once they are off to college." - CHA board member and former CHA Director, Jicela Jimenez

The students prepare for a memorable walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.