CREA Foundation, Inc.

Angelina Zuniga Kramer is a first-generation college student and CREA Scholar at California State University, Northridge, driven to attain her post-secondary degree successfully. With the support of the CREA Scholars program, Angelina has been able to establish living on campus, secure technologies to support her schoolwork, and improve her academic life.

"All these students have ambitions, they have things they want to do in life. We’re not only helping them immediately and helping them as individual students, but we’re also helping their families for generations to come.” - Arvetta Jideonwo, CREA Foundation Executive Director

Read more about Angelina and the impact CREA Foundation can make through your support: https://newsroom.csun.edu/2024/06/27/crea-scholarship-makes-csun-home-for-students-ambitions/

🎓 Meet Carolina Gonzalez, the former CREA Scholars Coordinator! 🎓

Carolina recently graduated with a degree in Kinesiology from IUPUI and is on her way to UTEP - The University of Texas at El Paso to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Occupational Therapy.

Recently, the CREA Scholars wrapped up their school year with a celebratory dinner. These impressive students, all with an average GPA of 3.0+, will be entering their junior year at Indiana University Indianapolis next year.

Their academic success and persistence are a testament to the incredible support from their campus community, Educational Equity Programs, and the CREA Scholars Program at IUI.

We are so proud of Carolina and our scholars for their hard work and dedication!

WEEK 4 SCHOLAR HIGHLIGHT!!!

This wraps up our 2027 Class of CREA Scholars at California State University, Northridge! You can learn more about the CREA Foundation and meet our other CREA Scholars at https://www.creallc.com/foundation

Give the Gift of Education this Giving Tuesday!

is a "global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities." Will you consider joining the movement in support of CREA Foundation's mission?

Support scholars today by visiting https://creallc.networkforgood.com/projects/155537-crea-foundation

We share our gratitude to the many people and organizations who have supported our mission to help students cross the finish line. Wishing our a joyful break from their studies to spend time with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

“We are elated to launch the CREA Scholars at CSUN program and are excited about the opportunities for the scholars to create a community of support and connection over the next four years. We’re confident in our partnership with CSUN’s Educational Opportunity Program to provide a community for CREA Scholars to thrive, persist from year-to-year, and graduate.” - Arvetta Jideonwo, MHA, CSSGB, CFRE

CREA Scholars Program Celebrates Incoming CSUN Students Thanks to the California State University, Northridge CREA Scholars Program, 20 incoming freshmen were welcomed to campus this fall with funds and resources allocated to help them achieve academic success. The scholarship program – for undergraduate students admitted to the Educational Opportunit

WEEK 3 SCHOLAR HIGHLIGHT!!!

Learn more about the CREA Foundation and the impressive 2027 Class of California State University, Northridge CREA Scholars at https://www.creallc.com/foundation.

Next to selecting a college or university to attend, a big decision that students must make is what career path to take. November is National Month and we're celebrating the many steps it takes to develop and advance a career! Take a look at some of the resources provided by the National Career Development Association: https://ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sp/resources

It's week 2 of our California State University, Northridge CREA Scholar Highlight!

Learn more about the CREA Foundation and see all of our scholars at https://www.creallc.com/foundation.

We share in celebrating our collegiate partner, California State University, Northridge, on earning Excelencia in Education's Seal of Excelencia national certification for intentionally serving Latinx students. 🎉 Read more:

CSUN Earns Prestigious Seal of Excelencia for Its Leadership in Meeting Needs of Latinx Students California State University, Northridge has earned the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification that recognizes colleges and universities that serve Latinx students with intentionality, while serving all students by utilizing the framework of data, practice and leadership. Excelencia in Educati

Our CREA Scholars program gives financial assistance to incoming freshman that is recurrent over 4 years, ensuring that students exit college having attained a credential that will help them achieve their dreams. For the next few weeks we will be highlighting our 2027 Class of CREA Scholars at California State University, Northridge. Meet the first few Scholars below!

You can learn more about the CREA Foundation at https://www.creallc.com/foundation.

Did you know that November is ? As a nonprofit supporting students and their goal to attain a post-secondary degree, we join the National Scholarship Providers Association and the many individuals and organizations dedicated to "the common goal of helping all students get to and through college." Learn more:

National Scholarship Month - National Scholarship Providers Association National Scholarship Providers Association National Scholarship Month.

Exciting News!!!

Join us in celebrating the incredible achievements of twenty incoming California State University, Northridge freshman who have been selected as 2023 CREA Scholar recipients!

Learn more about this group of CREA Scholars at https://www.creallc.com/post/crea-foundation-csun-identify-2023-24-crea-scholars

Our at IUPUI are finishing up their first 8 weeks of their second year! We're thrilled about the progress they've made towards their goal of obtaining a post-secondary degree. Check out our scholars here:

IUPUI Scholars | CREA Foundation CREA Foundation's mission is to help and empower students in crossing the finish line by creating impactful educational and developmental opportunities. Learn mabout the impressive and motivated inaugural class of CREA Scholars...

Heads up! The 2024-2025 is delayed. In order for the FAFSA Simplification Act to be fully implemented by the U.S. Department of Education, the 24-25 FAFSA will now be released in December 2023 instead of the usual October 1 date. If you serve youth experiencing homelessness or with foster care experience, it's essential to get ahead of December and comprehend FAFSA provisions for this group. Learn more here:

The FAFSA Simplification Act: Youth Experiencing Homelessness and Youth with Experience in Foster Care The FAFSA Simplification Act (enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and updated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022) aims to remove many of the barriers faced by youth experiencing homelessness or with experience in foster care. The new provisions for homeless and fos...

Happy to all! It's always a good day to reinforce our promise of broadening access to higher education for those from affordable housing communities and beyond. A college degree is a key which unlocks so many opportunities over a lifetime. It's our mission to ensure everyone with the desire to achieve a postsecondary education has the opportunity to do regardless of their race, place or socioeconomic status.

Meet the CREA Scholars benefitting from our work and learn how you can contribute today:

It is time for the final highlight of our CREA Scholars at IUPUI ! We have immensely enjoyed the opportunity to share the passions and achievements of our diverse Class of 2026, and we hope you've enjoyed getting to know all our Scholars a bit better.

Last but certainly not least, we are thrilled to highlight Raniya Knuckles! Hailing from Evansville, Indiana, Raniya is starting at IUPUI as a CREA Scholar with varied interests and passions. In high school, she volunteered at a local food bank and animal shelter and served as a tutor, mentor, member of the Link Crew to help new students acclimate to her school, and secretary of the Interact Club through which students help their community. Raniya was very active in intramural sports as well, playing volleyball all four years and serving as team captain and achieving Academic All-State and Academic All-City recognition. She also played softball and ran track, was recognized as Student of the Day, and has worked at Hollister, Plato’s Closet, and Walmart.

Since Raniya has many career aspirations, varying from business and entrepreneurship to criminology and criminal justice, she began her college career in an exploratory track to determine her path. She knows that she wants to use her skills to help people and is dedicated to achieving her goals and helping others around her to be successful. She is interested in being involved in the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program and the 21st Century Scholars Success Program. Raniya is excited to have a support system at college while also being a support system to others. She values the opportunity to be around people from different backgrounds and social views, as that will help her to open up to others about her views as well.

It's been a busy few weeks for us here at CREA Foundation, but we're excited to get back on track with our Scholar highlights series! Today's spotlight goes to Makaela Watkins.

Makaela comes to IUPUI from Gary, Indiana, where she was very active throughout high school, volunteering at the United Steel Workers Bike Drive, a hospital toy drive, Gary Neighborhood Clean Up, beautification of gardens at Merram Health Center, a food drive, and an animal shelter, as well as participating in a marathon to raise money for breast cancer. She served in a Diversity Club, the Best Buddies program, and participated in intramural sports, including track, golf, and basketball, where she was named Player of the Week. Makaela participated in an internship at NIPSCO as an energy ambassador and worked at Ben’s Soft Pretzels, Chick-Fil-A, and Forever 21. She plans to major in biology or psychology at IUPUI in preparation for medical school, where she hopes to participate in research on how to close health care gaps in urban areas. She is planning a career in the health professions so she can help others in her community.

While at IUPUI, Makaela plans to be an active member of the university though the Social Justice Scholars Program and the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program. She believes that access to diversity is very important because no one should ever feel out of place. Exposure to other cultures and communities will allow her to enhance her creativity and increase her knowledge. She shared that this program will also enhance her sense of belonging while having a place in a holistic community

We are so proud of your tireless community work and passion for your education, Makaela! Learn more about all of our Scholars here: https://loom.ly/0KTOCts

Our Scholars are in the midst of finals this week at IUPUI - Though this time can be stressful, we are so proud of all their accomplishments! Here's to them and to a strong finish to their first year of college. 💪

CREA Foundation's 2022 Annual Report has arrived! 🙌🎓 This document is proof positive of the great impact we have achieved in our first full year of operations thanks to the generosity and support of our donors.

"I am thrilled to announce and share CREA Foundation's very first annual report, a document which thoroughly details the progress and impact we have achieved in our first full year of operation," said Arvetta Jideonwo. Executive Director of CREA Foundation. "Our fundraising figures are evidence of our strong position and dedicated core of support which will allow us to broaden our scope in the coming months and years."

Click below to check out our Annual Report in full!

CREA Foundation 2022 Annual Report is HERE! I am thrilled to announce and share CREA Foundation's very first annual report, a document which thoroughly details the progress and impact we have achieved in our first full year of operation. Our fundraising figures are evidence of our strong position and dedicated core of support which will allow...

Our 2nd annual Scholarship Golf Classic was a smashing success, thanks in no small part to the generosity of our donors and the inspiring stories of some of the students creating pathways to success at California State University, Northridge ! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who provided support through sponsorship or participation - events like this one are instrumental in funding the important work of helping students cross the finish line. Special thanks go out to CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development for their incredible generosity as a Presenting Sponsor of this event. We can't wait to see you again next year! ⛳

Thanks to all our sponsors:
3 Leaf
American Community Developers
Allied Argenta
AMG & Associates
Jay Abeywardena
Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust
CRP Affordable Housing & Community Development
Greenlight Development
KCG Companies
LEDG Capital
Lincoln Avenue Capital
Milestone Housing Group
MCFAH
Omni New York LLC
Nottingham Studios
Rancho Belago Developers, Inc.
RAHD
Sinanian
Spira Equity Partners
The Michaels Organization
Transcend Group
Tidwell Group
The Pacific Companies

We're still smiling from last week's IUPUI Spirit of Philanthropy Awards Ceremony. CREA Foundation is pleased to accept this esteemed honor, established to recognize "the dedication of individuals and organizations... who give generously and provide volunteer leadership to advance the opportunities for students, faculty, and staff at IUPUI."

For a limited time, there's a new way to support CREA Foundation and all our Scholars - and this one has a few special things in it for you! As part of our 2nd annual Scholarship Golf Outing, we're excited to open our online silent auction featuring a variety of items that are sure to catch your eye. Proceeds of the auction will support our mission to help students cross the finish line by providing financial aid and wraparound services.

To learn more and place your bids today, scan the attached QR code or visit the following: https://loom.ly/vnR2U0o

We're one week out from our second CREA Foundation Scholarship Golf Classic at La Cañada Flintridge Country Club! Special thanks and recognition of our Presenting Sponsor, CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development, for their support of our mission and CREAScholars at California State University, Northridge!

CRP Affordable is a full-service real estate firm, located in San Diego, with significant experience in multifamily acquisition/rehabilitation, ground-up development, and property management. Learn more about CRP: https://www.crpaffordable.com/

It's Wednesday, and that means we're continuing our CREA Scholar spotlights! This week's featured scholar is Nomar Reyes. Having been raised in Indianapolis, Nomar didn't have to travel far to begin his college career at IUPUI ! While in high school, he was active in his school’s science fair and participated in robotics. He also works in maintenance, where he enjoys learning many new skills. He plans to major in media arts and science, with career plans to become a designer of video games. His goal is to utilize his love for gaming to develop a video game that exceeds expectations and makes people feel something every time they play it. He appreciates a true sense of community that exists in gaming and wants to add to that with a video game universe of his own.

He is excited for the opportunity to live on campus with his peers and confident that he will be able to have a successful start to his college career while working on building his individuality. He looks forward to the academic reinforcement and professional coaching at IUPUI, which will better prepare him to enter the workforce once he completes his degree. Nomar says that this program will make all the difference in his academic success and will provide him with the needed resources to make the impossible possible.

We can't wait to boot up the products of your creative skills someday soon, Nomar! 👾 To learn about all our Scholars, head to https://loom.ly/0KTOCts

It's time for another Scholar highlight! Today we're learning more about Gracie Boles, one of 9 CREA Scholars currently studying at IUPUI . Gracie hails from Brownstown, Indiana, where she volunteered through her youth group and a local food bank. She was also involved in theater and was twice named the “Brave of the Month” through her high school. Gracie worked as a teacher as well as a washer assistant with semi-trucks. Her intended field of study is psychology, and she plans to use her degree to become a mental health therapist to help people who are struggling with their mental health.

Gracie has been a member of the 21st Century Scholars Success Program since eighth grade. She shared that being in the program gave her the desire to put an immense amount of effort into her education and her grades, and she intends to stay closely involved in this program. Gracie explained that because of this opportunity, she is able to attend college without the worry and fear of covering the cost, which in turn allows her to focus better on her studies.

Want to learn more about our Scholars, or apply for yourself? Learn more at CREALLC.com/Foundation!

🎉Exciting Announcement🎉: The application for our second cohort of is now open at California State University, Northridge!

With a preference for students residing in , 20 scholarships will be extended to incoming freshman those looking to earn their post-secondary degree at CSUN.

We welcome you to share this opportunity!

Learn more: https://www.creallc.com/post/crea-scholars-csun-application-now-open & Apply: https://csun.academicworks.com/opportunities/3719/

CREA Scholars CSUN Application Now Open CREA Foundation, Inc. is pleased to share the open application for California State University, Northridge (CSUN) incoming freshman.

It's CREA Foundation Scholarship Golf Classic month! As we celebrate having recently added our second collegiate partner, California State University, Northridge, we welcome you to join us on the West Coast at our upcoming golf outing on April 24th at La Cañada Flintridge Country Club! Learn more and register today:

CREA Foundation Scholarship Golf Classic Please join us for our 2nd scholarship golf outing, a fun-filled event at one of California's finest courses aimed at celebrating and expanding our impact on students who need help the most.

We're back to highlight another of our CREA Scholars! Today we're taking a look at Daawan Baker. Originally from Anderson, Indiana, Daawan is studying cybersecurity at IUPUI . In high school, he was very active in intramural sports from wrestling to football to track and field. In addition to these interests and working part-time, he has always made a point to focus energy on academic success and on supporting those around him to do their best. He is interested in the various groups and programs designed to help students succeed at IUPUI, including the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program and TRIO Student Support Services. Whether in school or beyond, Daawan is putting in the time and effort to achieve his goals.