The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County is honoring the achievements of 32 students with $308,450 in scholarships, funded by a number of local donors.
Donors ranged from everyone from the Henry Cowell family to individual donors inspired by the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. Two-thirds of this year’s awardees are first generation college students.
Foundation CEO Susan True said that the students stood out for “their focus on community service and mentorship,” and their resiliency through the recent pandemic and natural disasters.
The local recipients are:
Watsonville High School
- Angel Garcia Lopez (ALPERT SHARING FUND SCHOLARSHIP)
- Karina Bejar (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Adrian Elizalde (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Cesar Rivera (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Angela Rockey (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Consuelo Vidal-Perez (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Gemma de la Cruz (HANK GARCIA JR. AND FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP)
- Dulce Ortiz-Herrera (EMMETT AND ELSIE GEISER SCHOLARSHIP)
- Christopher Ruiz (LOUIS J. AND MARY ELLEN SCHULTZ SCHOLARSHIP)
- Rigoberto Cruz-Lopez (SIMUNOVICH FAMILY AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP)
- Jasmine Espinoza Verdugo (JOHN L. TURNER SCHOLARSHIP)
Ceiba College Prep Academy
- Itzel Gomez (JUDY ANTON WOMAN OF VALOR / LUPITA LOVES TO READ PROJECT SCHOLARSHIP)
Pajaro Valley High School
- Jennifer Hernandez (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Merrsy Aguilar-Garcia (HANK GARCIA JR. AND FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP)
- Ashley Rubio (HANK GARCIA JR. AND FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP)
- Ladislao Silva (EMMETT AND ELSIE GEISER SCHOLARSHIP)
Aptos High School
- Gabriel Johnston (BURTON SCHOLARSHIP)
- Juliet Sweet (HANK GARCIA JR. AND FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP)
- Holden Barker (EMMETT AND ELSIE GEISER SCHOLARSHIP)
Cabrillo College
- Madelyn Mosely (LOUIS J. AND MARY ELLEN SCHULTZ SCHOLARSHIP)
