Celebrating 32 Remarkable Students in a Remarkable Year

As graduates and their families celebrated with outdoor, socially distant ceremonies, the Community Foundation honored the achievements of 32 remarkable students with $308,450 in scholarships established by generous and forward thinking donors.

“This year’s awardees stood out for their focus on community service and mentorship,” says CEO Susan True. “These are students smart enough to breeze through a subject, but kind enough to look back and pull others up along with them, as a tutor. Some were displaced due to the CZU fires, others had to figure out distance learning without internet at home. Students not only overcame extraordinary challenges, they volunteered hundreds of hours at COVID testing sites, food pantries, blood drives, and after-school programs.”

Two-thirds of the awardees are first-generation college students, turning their parents’ and grandparents’ dreams of higher education into a reality.

“From the legacy of Henry Cowell’s family to a donor inspired last summer by the movement for racial equity, this community has a rich history of families giving back by establishing a scholarship fund. It’s an honor to work with the community leaders helping Santa Cruz County be a place where all generations have the opportunity to thrive” says David Doolin, President of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Meet the 32 local students who received scholarships through Community Foundation Santa Cruz County in 2021.

ALPERT SHARING FUND SCHOLARSHIP
Angel Garcia Lopez, Watsonville High School (Yale)

JUDY ANTON WOMAN OF VALOR / LUPITA LOVES TO READ PROJECT SCHOLARSHIP
Itzel Gomez, Ceiba High School (Fresno State)
Marlize Velasco, Cypress High School (Cabrillo Honors Program)

R.H. BEEL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Lillian Henderson, Santa Cruz High School (Cabrillo)

BURTON SCHOLARSHIP
Ava Adamsen, Soquel High School (UC San Diego)
Karina Bejar, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
Adrian Elizalde, Watsonville High School (Yale)
Jennifer Hernandez, Pajaro Valley High School (Cabrillo)
Gabriel Johnston, Aptos High School (UC Santa Cruz)
Cesar Rivera, Watsonville High School (UC Merced)
Angela Rockey, Watsonville High School (USC)
Consuelo Vidal-Perez, Watsonville High School (USC)

ERNEST V. COWELL SCHOLARSHIP
Luis Rameno, Harbor High School (UC Santa Cruz)

BOB AND BETSY DARROW SCHOLARSHIP
Anjelica Medina Jenaro, Harbor High School (UC Merced)

JACK DEBORD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Angelo Reis, San Lorenzo Valley High School (Cal Poly)

HANK GARCIA JR. AND FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
Merrsy Aguilar-Garcia, Pajaro Valley High School (Chico State)
Gemma de la Cruz, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
Ashley Rubio, Pajaro Valley High School (UC San Diego)
Juliet Sweet, Aptos High School (UC Santa Barbara)

EMMETT AND ELSIE GEISER SCHOLARSHIP
Holden Barker, Aptos High School (Chapman)
Ladislao Silva, Pajaro Valley High School (San Jose State)
Dulce Ortiz-Herrera, Watsonville High School (Sacramento State)

MATT’S CLIMB SCHOLARSHIP
Alana Smallman, Cypress High School

BERT AND CAROLYN POST SCHOLARSHIP
Identity withheld to maintain recipient’s privacy, Watsonville High School (UC Santa Cruz)

LOUIS J. AND MARY ELLEN SCHULTZ SCHOLARSHIP
Madelyn Mosely, Cabrillo College
Christopher Ruiz, Watsonville High School (Hartnell)

SIMUNOVICH FAMILY AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP
Rigoberto Cruz-Lopez, Watsonville High School (Cal State Monterey Bay)

BARBARA J. THOMPSON SCHOLARSHIP
Bobby Blaschke, Santa Cruz High School (Monmouth)
Lena Noya, Santa Cruz High School (Brown)
Madelynn Piona, Soquel High School (Johns Hopkins)
Jacob Rivera, Harbor High School (UC Berkeley)

JOHN L. TURNER SCHOLARSHIP
Jasmine Espinoza Verdugo, Watsonville High School (San Jose State)