Albuquerque is one of 17 communities around the country that will receive $350,000 in grant funding over the next 42 months after being designated a “Talent Hub” by the Lumina Foundation.
The designation means the city has met rigorous standards for creating environments that attract, retain and cultivate talent, particularly among today’s students.
The Lumina Foundation, in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. The grant funding is in support of local efforts to educate more people, and those local efforts have been led by Mission: Graduate.
Mission: Graduate, an initiative of United Way of Central New Mexico, is a cradle-to-career partnership of educators, local employers, educational support providers, government leaders and citizens who are committed to a goal of 60,000 new graduates with college degrees and certificates in central New Mexico by the year 2020.
Mission: Graduate, an initiative of United Way of Central New Mexico, is a cradle-to-career partnership of educators, local employers, educational support providers, government leaders and citizens who are committed to a goal of 60,000 new graduates with college degrees and certificates in central New Mexico by the year 2020.
“There are over 75,000 adults in central New Mexico who finished high school, but never took the next step in their educational journey,” said Angelo Gonzales, executive director of Mission: Graduate. “We are eager to help them explore their post-high school options and, with the continued support of Lumina Foundation, we will be able to serve more people and expand our partnerships in central New Mexico.”
Katharine Winograd, president of Central New Mexico Community College, a Mission: Graduate partner, in a statement said, “We’re striving to significantly increase the number of college graduates in New Mexico, which is critically important for improving our workforce, our economy, and our quality of life. This partnership helps us continue to improve individual lives and the greater good.”
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