Scripps College junior Bergen Carloss has received a $15,000 scholarship from the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation to fund an enrichment program for a Los Angeles elementary school. Carloss’ 12-week project, titled “Think Big Theater: An Enrichment Program for L.A. Homeless Youth,” will teach students from Crete Academy in South Los Angeles the basics of theater. Students in the program will attend a professional show and perform their own skits.
“I will be able to work with some truly incredible kids who will hopefully have fun in the program, build their confidence and public speaking skills, and learn to express themselves creatively,” said Carloss, who hails from Whitefish, Montana. “It’s an incredible opportunity to engage with the Los Angeles community outside of Claremont.”
The majority of Crete Academy students are homeless or live below the poverty line, and the school is in need of after-school enrichment programs, Carloss says. She will spend the summer working with Crete teachers and administrators to develop weekly lesson plans before the program launches this fall.
The Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation was established in 1997 as a memorial to the late Don Strauss of Newport Beach. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 290 scholarships to college sophomores and juniors to fund public service projects.