The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation hosted its final STEM career panel of the year at Dodger Stadium on Dec. 8. Part of the foundation’s College and Career Accelerator, the initiative was designed to introduce high school students in underserved communities to college and career opportunities through panels, seminars, workshops and college tours.

“So many of the young adults we serve lack knowledge of and access to careers in STEM fields,” LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman said. “With our College & Career Accelerator series, we are addressing inequities in education by exposing youth to opportunities to succeed beyond high school. This year alone, we awarded $340,000 in grants to nonprofits that provide college and career education and accessibility, and launched our first-ever LADF scholarship through a $1 million investment to support 10 scholars annually with four-year support.”

The 2022 CCA series included four workshops hosted at venues including Dodger Stadium, Centennial High School, and the University of Southern California as well as two college tours at USC and El Camino Community College.

Currently, only 50% of L.A. County students complete high school with the classes required to apply to a four-year college, and only 33.5% of L.A. County residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. To address these inequities in education, LADF partnered with the USC College Advising Corps to arrange college workshops for the Dodgers Dreamteam and grantee youth. The presentations covered a wide variety of topics including college applications, financial aid, and making the transition to post-secondary education.

For information, visit Dodgers .com/CCA.