The LEAP Academy is located in Camden, one of the toughest cities in the country. Faced with high crime and unemployment rates, the charter school is an academic oasis for children with curious minds and high ambitions. School days are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 200 days a year – 20 more than required by the state.
Established in 1997 through a partnership with Rutgers University, the LEAP Academy serves nearly 800 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. It also hosts a 90-student preschool program in cooperation with Rutgers.
In a city where less than six percent of adults hold a bachelor’s or professional degree and just 50 percent hold a high school diploma, the need for access to an affordable college education is great. That’s why Rutgers and LEAP created the Rutgers/LEAP Alfredo Santiago Endowed Scholarship, which provides financial aid to LEAP graduates attending Rutgers campuses. The scholarship program was established in 1999 by CSUCL Director Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago in memory of her late husband. Since 2005, it has helped 25 LEAP alumni go to college at Rutgers.
In October, the Verizon Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to be used for scholarships for deserving students.
“Many gifted young people dream of going to college—but not everyone has the financial resources to make that dream a reality,” said Dr. Santiago. “With the essential support and contribution provided by Verizon towards the scholarship fund, many promising LEAP students now have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals in the challenging academic environments. These students are high achievers who each hit a roadblock on their way to college. But with the help of the Verizon scholarship program, they are not only realizing their dreams of higher education, they are discovering their boundless potential. We thank you Verizon for its vision in saving kids lives by investing in their future”
In each of the last four years, in addition to a 100 percent graduation rate, all of the school’s four graduating classes were accepted to college.
The scholarship is awarded annually to eligible LEAP graduates based on academic merit and financial need with an emphasis on increasing diversity at Rutgers; preference is given to Latino and African-American students majoring in nontraditional areas of study (business, science, engineering, and pre-medicine). Recipients who remain in good academic standing can renew the scholarship for up to three years (four years if it’s a five-year program).
