Nicholas Academic Centers celebrate milestones at Thanksgiving dinner

SANTA ANA The Nicholas Academic Centers celebrated record student achievement this weekend at their fourth annual Thanksgiving Dinner event for more than 300 Santa Ana high school students and their families.

Broadcom Co-Founder Henry T. Nicholas, III and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, hosted the event held Friday at Valley High. They both praised the "NAC Model"a nurturing educational "family" that combines personal tutoring, cultural enrichment and social and family support for under-served high school students.

Nicholas Academic Centers Co-Founders Judge Jack Mandel and Broadcom Co-Founder and former CEO Henry T. Nicholas, III, Ph.D., carve a turkey at the Centers 4th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration.

NICHOLAS ACADEMIC CENTERS COURTESY PHOTO

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"The NACs succeed where others fail because we create a support system that includes students, staff, parents and high school counselors," said Dr. Nicholas, who established the first center in 2008 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel. "It's a model that works. One hundred percent of our students go on to college, and we're going to ensure that every one of them earns a degree."

Currently, 231 NAC alumni are attending top colleges around the country, such as Notre Dame, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Smith College. Half of the students from the first NAC class are set to graduate from college this year and 87% will graduate within five years. Among Hispanic students nationally, only 13 percent finish college, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.

NAC students have earned more than $3 million in scholarships and financial aid.

"The Nicholas Academic Centers are profoundly changing education," Pulido said. "At Broadcom, Dr. Nicholas used brilliance and drive as a pioneer in the technology industry. Now, in collaboration with Judge Mandel, he has created an inner-city program that rivals the achievements of the nation's best private schools."

In a statement, Thelma Melndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D., Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District, voiced her support for the NACs:

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Nicholas Academic Centers celebrate milestones at Thanksgiving dinner

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