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Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser, Long Beach City College Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) President Jane Close Conoley and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia gathered today to share successes of The Long Beach College Promise during a celebratory event at the Hotel Maya, the partners announced today. 

Leaders provided progress updates, including data regarding college readiness, internships and early childhood education, college enrollment, guaranteed college admission and tuition-free courses, according to the release.

Officials also awarded 24 scholarships from $50 to $250 to eighth graders who had shown academic improvement.

The Port of Long Beach (POLB) was honored as a Promise Partner for its support of the initiative through internships and programs, while the College Promise Champion Award was given to State Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, chair of the Assembly Education Committee, for his efforts to assist statewide fund replication of the program, the release stated. 

“One goal of The Long Beach College Promise is to remove barriers and increase affordability for students, providing those who wish to graduate in four years the ability to do so,” said CSULB President Jane Close Conoley in a statement. “That goal is shared by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell. From his time as a teacher and throughout his rise from Long Beach City Councilmember to his current role as the Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, Patrick has remained steadfastly dedicated to education. I am proud that one of our own has been selected to receive this honor.”

Conoley proudly tweeted several times during the event, sharing pictures of speakers, influencers and friends.

A few of the recent successes announced during the event included more than 13,000 LBUSD students signing up for Advanced Placement college-level exams this year, an 82.4 percent increase in four years, since the start of the program a 71 percent increase of LBUSD students enrolling at CSULB and 2,600 internships added to the city since then. 

“The Promise has more than doubled the number of internships in Long Beach, and dramatically increased preschool and early childhood education enrollment,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “We should celebrate that success, and we have to continue investing in education and supporting Long Beach students.”

For more information, visit the website here.  

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].