Thanks to a grant from the College Access Foundation, the program - known as Cal-SOAP - distributed $161,000 to about 90 students from south Santa Clara and San Benito counties Wednesday night and for the first time gave out renewal scholarships to college freshman and sophomores, said Cal-SOAP Director Erin Gemar.

Dozens of students left the ceremony with up to $5,000 to help cushion the cost of college tuition.

"Every little bit counts," said Madelein Morales, a sophomore studying sociology and women's studies at Saint Mary's College of California who received $2,500. "It's one less loan I have to take out so this is a blessing."

The financial aid will help students who may not otherwise be able to afford college, students said. Cal-SOAP students agreed that the program's one-on-one attention plus the scholarship opportunities motivated them to join Cal-SOAP.

"You're not just another number," said Yesenia Velasquez, a senior at Gilroy High School who was one of six students to receive $5,000 scholarships. She will attend the University of California, Los Angeles to study political science. If not for a road trip down to UCLA with Cal-SOAP, Velasquez probably wouldn't have applied, she said.

Throughout high school, Cal-SOAP students attend various field trips to colleges around the state and have access to tutoring and counseling opportunities that mainstream students do not. Cal-SOAP targets students as young as fifth grade in an effort to expose them to college life. About 320 of the high school's approximately 2,500 students are Cal-SOAP students.

The 30th anniversary ceremony also celebrated two women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, Gemar said. Jan Bergkamp, a parent volunteer at Live Oak High School who is in charge of the school's scholarship program, and Jeanie Churchill, a Cal-SOAP site representative at San Benito High School, were honored for their "dedication and commitment to Cal-SOAP" and their ability to "offer both positive feedback and constructive criticism," Gemar said. Cal-SOAP staff also recognized the parents in the room because "they are often the number one influence in their sons' and daughters' decisions to continue their education," Gemar said.

Diane Padilla, who was let go as a GHS Cal-SOAP coordinator during a round of budget cuts and relocated to Mount Madonna High School, returned to present the awards to her former GHS students.

Although Cal-SOAP lost three counselors last year due to budget cuts, Gemar said this year and next are funded by a federal grant, "so it's nice to celebrate without tears and uncertainty about whether we'll be here in the fall. Right now, we feel really strong."