First class of city-funded 'Catto scholars' starts semester at Community College of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When Community College of Philadelphia begins a new semester on Tuesday, it will welcome its first class of “Catto scholars.” The scholarship, named for a 19th century civil rights leader, is a city-funded effort to increase access to higher education.

Darrel Claiborne has a plan: two years at community college then on to Temple University for nursing. He figures it’s his best chance to provide a better life for his two sons, but the margin on his investment is razor thin.

“You never know what’s going to happen. Your car could break down or you might have a hard month where you’re not going to be able to afford food, especially trying to focus on school,” he said.

So he was thrilled to be selected for the brand-new Catto Scholarship, which provides last dollar tuition, books, food, transportation and housing support — a CCP survey showed those are the expenses that force about 3,000 students a year to drop out.