Oakland-Area High School Seniors Graduate from Financial Education Program Earning $7,000 PG&E College Scholarships
Rhea-AI Summary
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (NYSE: PCG) and the PG&E Foundation will award $7,000 scholarships to 25 Oakland-area high school seniors graduating from the PG&E Community Financial Education Program on Feb. 7, 2026 at UC Berkeley.
Launched in 2022, the six-month program has served 96 students over four years and reports a total of $800,000 in student scholarships funded by PG&E and its foundation. Partners include UC Berkeley Haas, Berkeley Executive Education, The Mills Institute at Northeastern, and Amenti Capital Group.
Positive
- 25 students to receive $7,000 scholarships at Feb. 7, 2026 graduation
- Program has served 96 students over four years
- $800,000 total in student scholarships funded by PG&E and its foundation
- Partnership with UC Berkeley Haas, Mills Institute, and Amenti Capital provides academic and industry mentorship
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, PCG gained 1.72%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction. Our momentum scanner triggered 29 alerts that day, indicating elevated trading interest and price volatility. This price movement added approximately $604M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $35.69B at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
PCG fell about 2.2% while major regulated electric peers like ED (-1.7%), WEC (-0.88%), DTE (-1.01%), and PEG (-2.18%) also traded lower. However, no peers appeared in the momentum scanner, pointing to a modest, broadly negative utilities tone rather than a sharp sector rotation tied to this education-focused news.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 29 | Wildfire initiative | Positive | +1.5% | PCG-backed XPRIZE Wildfire competition support and funding announcement. |
| Jan 27 | Customer assistance | Neutral | -0.1% | Expanded REACH bill credits and payment-matching support for overdue bills. |
| Jan 15 | Earnings date | Neutral | -1.1% | Scheduled Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings release and conference call. |
| Jan 12 | Scholarship program | Positive | +0.2% | Opening applications for over $300,000 in coworker-funded scholarships. |
| Dec 30 | Rate reduction | Neutral | -0.1% | Announcement of electric and gas rate cuts effective January 1, 2026. |
Recent PCG headlines focused on community support, bill relief, and pricing changes have generally led to modest share moves, with no persistent pattern of sharp rallies or selloffs around this type of stakeholder-focused news.
Over the past few months, PCG’s news flow has centered on community impact, customer affordability, and corporate visibility. In December 2025 and January 2026, the company highlighted multiple electric and gas rate reductions and expanded bill-relief programs, plus scholarship opportunities funded by coworkers. An XPRIZE wildfire partnership underscored its role in resilience initiatives, while an earnings call date set expectations for upcoming financial disclosure. Today’s financial education scholarships continue this theme of community and education-focused outreach rather than balance-sheet-driven developments.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights PCG’s continued emphasis on community investment, with 25 Oakland-area seniors earning $7,000 scholarships and total scholarship funding reaching $800,000. It extends a pattern of education and affordability initiatives, complementing earlier scholarship and bill-relief programs. While not a balance-sheet catalyst, it reinforces the company’s focus on financial literacy and regional engagement. Investors may watch how such programs intersect with regulatory perceptions, upcoming earnings, and longer-term customer and community relations.
Key Terms
capital markets financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Partners PG&E, PG&E Foundation, UC Berkeley Haas and The Mills Institute at Northeastern Celebrate New Graduates of Program
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) launched the program in 2022 to help build more resilient communities by helping students create a foundation for long-term success and prosperity.
PG&E and its partners, including UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, designed the program for high school seniors from underserved communities to focus on personal finance, capital markets and wealth creation, and investments. Undergraduate students at Haas mentored the high schoolers.
Participants say the skills they acquired will help guide them to future success.
"The PG&E program has helped shape how I approach future financial decisions. It strengthened my understanding of budgeting and taught me how to make informed, responsible choices about my finances, especially as I prepare for the costs of college and life beyond that," said Xariyah White, a student at De Anza High School in
"This program created an on-ramp for me to explore my passion for the business world, while envisioning myself as a UC Berkeley Haas student. As a scholar in the UC Berkeley Haas Spieker four-year program, I am grateful for the PG&E program and the infinite opportunities they create for me to receive continued mentorship and guidance," said Mariah McCoy, a former program participant.
When the PG&E program began in 2022, program partners hoped it could serve as a model for future high school curriculum. In 2024,
The graduating students completed the course at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business during Saturday classes over six months. Haas professors and financial industry professionals taught the courses. The program also reinforces academic leadership and the value of higher education.
Over the past four years, 96 Oakland-area high school seniors have gone through the program. This year's class brings the total amount of student scholarships funded by the PG&E Corporation to
Partners Contributions
In addition to the Haas School of Business, other program partners include Berkeley Executive Education, The Mills Institute at Northeastern University and Amenti Capital Group.
The Mills Institute at Northeastern University TRIO Programs recruited student participants through programs aimed at helping underserved high school and first-generation college students.
The curriculum was developed with UC Berkeley Haas Professor and Faculty Director Panos Patatoukas and Jason Miles, a venture capitalist. Miles has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and founded Amenti Capital Group.
"Now in its fourth year, this program highlights the power of early and broad access to high-quality financial education in expanding opportunity and narrowing persistent wealth gaps. I'm proud of what this partnership has achieved and excited to continue driving positive impact for Bay Area youth," said Patatoukas.
"This program empowers future leaders with early, practical investing knowledge. This education expands access to capital markets by strengthening the pipeline of future founders and investors shaping the global innovative economy. I am deeply committed to catalyzing generational wealth creation alongside like-minded partners and this exceptionally talented community of students," said Miles.
PG&E's Chief Customer Officer and SVP, Customer Experience, Vincent Davis will be a featured speaker at the upcoming graduation.
"We believe education is a powerful catalyst for increasing prosperity in
Studies have shown that complex factors across generations affect wealth disparity. One such factor is how personal savings and investment decisions contribute to wealth accumulation.
One student already charting success is Otis Ward, an early graduate of the program who shared his journey in the PG&E short film "Change the System: Building Black Wealth." Ward is currently attending Stanford University.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and
About The PG&E Corporation Foundation
The PG&E Corporation Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, separate from PG&E and sponsored by PG&E Corporation.
About the Haas School of Business, University of
As the second-oldest business school in
About Berkeley Executive Education
UC Berkeley Executive Education serves leaders and organizations who aspire to redefine the future of business, delivering over 150 programs annually to a global audience. Its immersive learning experiences, led by renowned UC Berkeley faculty, equip global executives and their organizations with the vision and capabilities to thrive in an evolving world.
About Northeastern University
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.
Northeastern's comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs — on-campus, online, and in hybrid formats — lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 140 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.
About Amenti Capital Group
Amenti Capital Group is an emerging merchant bank that provides independent advisory services and venture capital to early-stage technology companies in high growth ecosystems. We leverage deep industry knowledge, operational expertise, and longstanding relationships to deliver attractive returns through our end-to-end model. We serve entrepreneurs and sophisticated investors while following our core principles of innovation, integrity and inclusion.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
FAQ
What will PCG announce at the Feb. 7, 2026 graduation in Oakland?
How many students have completed the PG&E Community Financial Education Program through 2026?
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