The FUTURE Foundation of Sacramento
Sacramento Business Journal Article

Friday, February 13, 2009

Business leaders help students get into, and pay for, college

Future Foundation hopes to double budget with masquerade ball
Sacramento Business Journal - by Kelly Johnson Staff writer

Dennis McCoy | Sacramento Business Journal

Ron Miller, president of Future Foundation, talks with his mentee, Stephen Rubalcaba, at the Monterey Trails High School baseball field.

Until just a couple of years ago, Stephen Rubalcaba, 16, focused on having fun, without a thought about going to college or having a career.

Even if he had considered it, the Monterey Trails High School student said he wouldn’t have been able to afford college.

All that was changed by a fledgling Sacramento nonprofit that pairs students with business leader mentors and guarantees them a paid college education at a California State University school. FUTURE Foundation of Sacramento Inc. has just nine participating students, but through fundraisers such as its masquerade ball on Saturday, the organization hopes to offer the opportunity to many more students in coming years.

These days Rubalcaba is motivated to succeed in the classroom, in his personal life and on the baseball field, where he plays third base. He’s planning to major in education, get his teacher’s credential and then teach and coach baseball for a few years before becoming a vice principal.

The Future Foundation and its president, Ron Miller, who is Rubalcaba’s mentor, will be guiding him for years to come. The program’s mentoring continues all through college.