Winegrape growers award scholarships

Local student awarded

SACRAMENTO — The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) Foundation has awarded $30,000 in college scholarships to 10 students, including Guadalupe Hernandez from Porterville High School.

The scholarships are awarded annually to students whose parent or legal guardian is employed by a California winegrape grower.

“We are honored to provide scholarships to these incredibly deserving and talented students, many of whom have overcome challenges in their lives,” said J.R. Shannon, chairman of the foundation’s board of directors.

“We commend them for how much they have accomplished academically and with extracurricular activities, community service and work. Our vineyard employees are valued members of our winegrape growing family, and we are pleased that we can help their children achieve their dreams of a college education.”

Each year the CAWG Foundation board selects at least seven recipients from high schools throughout the state. Scholarship selection is based on scholastic ability, financial need, community involvement, leadership and a 500-word essay.

Since the program’s inception in 1998, the foundation has awarded $403,000 in scholarships.

Funds are raised through the generous donations of members of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and the California wine community.

The four-year scholarships are $8,000 each for students attending a University of California or California State University campus. Two additional $2,000 scholarships were awarded to high-caliber applicants who had tremendous financial need. The two-year college scholarships are $2,000 each for students attending a California community college.

The Robert Miller Memorial Scholarship was created by the family of Bob Miller, a California wine industry leader who helped establish the Central Coast as a leading winegrape growing region. The scholarship invests in the future of Central Coast students who want to pursue a career in the region’s winegrape industry. It typically provides $500 for a student attending Allan Hancock College and $1,000 for a student attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. This year, scholarships were awarded to two Cal Polybound students.

Hernandez, a senior at Porterville High School, received one of the two $8,000 scholarships.

She grew up in Terra Bella where education was not a priority for many students. But her family valued education and instilled in her a strong work ethic that was the foundation of her motivation to succeed.

Hernandez has worked as a student aid teacher for two years, and that further strengthened her desire to become a teacher. “I hope to become a teacher so that I can share with other students my appreciation for learning and convey to my pupils that attending school is one of the first stepping stones toward a better future.”

She plans to major in liberal studies or English at a four-year university.