Giving Back - Tuition Assistance Program

GIVING BACK

Tuition Assistance Program

For a portion of his high school career, Michael Lee’s routine included a singularly atypical task: each week, he walked the hallway to the VCS finance office to contribute his own paycheck towards his tuition.

Lee, who started at Valley Christian Schools as a third-grader, had watched as his family struggled to withstand the recession of 2008. The economic decline cost his father his career. Lee’s parents divorced, and the family lost their house. But Lee was determined to remain a Warrior.

“My family wanted me to have a good education with a Christian backing,” Lee says. “We had deep relationships with students and members of the faculty.”

If I hadn’t ultimately received assistance from people involved with Valley Christian, I don’t know where I would’ve been. Now I find myself giving back to people as well; when someone does it for you, you want to do it for someone else.

~ Michael Lee, VCS Alumnus 2013

As an inaugural member of Valley Christian’s Applied Math, Science, and Engineering (AMSE) program – started by the late Werner Vavken in 2010 – Lee worked alongside talented fellow students building projects he never could have imagined, all of which he called an “eye-opening experience.” Vavken and his wife Sheri were vocal in their support of Lee, and instrumental in working with the school to help him stay. Thanks to an influx of institutional and financial support, Lee completed his high school education at Valley Christian.

Lee graduated from VCHS in 2013 and studied computer engineering at San Jose State. He is now the CEO of a signage solutions company and the managing partner of a firm that provides consulting services to minority-owned businesses. As a successful professional, he is vocal about the importance of supporting students who are in need.

Lee understands the challenging economic situations students face. He explains, “If I hadn’t ultimately received assistance from people involved with Valley Christian, I don’t know where I would’ve been.” Lee’s motivation is clear: “Now I find myself giving back to people as well; when someone does it for you, you want to do it for someone else.”

Please contact Assistant Director of Advancement, Annual Giving & Constituent Relations Stephanie Rosas at srosas@vcs.net to find out how you can support more students like Michael.