Wescom Credit Union Provides Scholarships to College-Ready Southern California Students through Sylvan Learning Centers for Second Year

#WescomKindness Initiative Continues to Support Students and Families Impacted by Distance Learning as a Result of COVID-19

Coming off a time of hybrid or distance learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, high schoolers across Southern California are heading back to school, many for the first time in-person in more than a year. To help ease the transition, Wescom Credit Union announced today that it will support local students and families by providing Sylvan Learning Center scholarships as part of its overall #WescomKindness initiative.

Continuing a program that started in 2020 when most students were participating in distance or hybrid learning, Wescom will donate more than $28,000 to support college-bound students via tutoring scholarships fulfilled by Sylvan Learning Centers across Southern California, in or near the communities where Wescom maintains a local branch. Eighteen Sylvan Learning Centers will participate, awarding college preparation services such as college essay assistance, college coaching through the admissions process, navigating scholarships and financial aid, and tutoring for AP classes and courses for credit. The scholarships will benefit approximately 30 deserving juniors and seniors attending local public high schools.

“Wescom has a longstanding commitment to supporting local communities in order to help Southern Californians build better lives,” said Melissa Pederson, Wescom Credit Union SVP Administration. “We are proud to support students and their families by helping them to be college-ready. Working with partners like Sylvan, as part of our #WescomKindness initiative, we can make a difference in these students’ lives.”

“This is the third school year that has been impacted by COVID-19 and many students have lost approximately three months of learning over the course of that time,” said Emily Levitt, Vice President of Education, Sylvan Learning. “We are so appreciative of Wescom’s continued support of Southern California high school students. Thanks to them, these local students will receive extra tutoring help to make sure they are better prepared for college, in addition to having access to valuable resources for college planning.”

To further support college-bound high school students and their families Wescom has created an online resource to provide them with practical information—like decoding financial aid terms—to learn about the different ways to pay for college. Wescom also offers their Smart Option Student Loan^® by Sallie Mae^®, which can be an ideal solution to help families pay for college expenses not covered by scholarships, grants, and federal loans. Wescom’s GenEdge Account, designed for young adults ages 15 to 17, helps students learn how to build wealth, maintain it, and use the tools to reach their financial goals.

For more information, visit wescom.org/college.

About Wescom Credit Union

Since 1934, Wescom Credit Union has been dedicated to helping people throughout Southern California build better lives. Headquartered in Pasadena, California, Wescom has 24 branches providing essential banking solutions to more than 200,000 members. Benefits include lower loan rates, higher savings yields, reduced fees, and a robust network of branches and ATMs. Wescom is a proud recipient of the Forbes "Best-In-State Credit Union" award, ranking it as a top 10 credit union in California, for two years in a row. #WescomKindness is an extension of Wescom Credit Union’s more than 85-year tradition of serving its community through such programs as The Wescom Foundation – the credit union’s employee-run charitable foundation. For more information, please visit wescom.org

About Sylvan Learning

With more than 40 years of experience and more than 750 points of presence throughout North America, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE—STEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep —college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit http://www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog.

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