Efren Rosas

Efren Rosas, a student at Oakland Unity High School, in Oakland, CA, received a 2011 Susan Steelman Bragato Scholarship of $1,500 for college tuition.

Efren was 10-years-old when his family immigrated to the United States from Mexico City. In his first six years in the United States, his family moved nine times. On a daily basis, Efren visibly sees poverty, access to drugs and limited resources, and prostitution and drugs are evident and accessible everywhere.

Seeing his community impoverished and in trouble made Efren feel responsible to help Oakland change its ways. His past experiences led his to witness many injustices and now he is determined in the root of those injustices. It is this thought that led Efran to want to pursue a career as a forensic psychologist. He notes that he will be the first in his family to obtain a college degree.

The scholarship is named for Susan Steelman Bragato, the co-founder of the first charter school in California and the founder of the California Network of Educational Charters (which was renamed the California Charter Schools Association in 2003). Sue was one the first Californians to recognize the need to build a strong network of support among charter school leaders statewide.