Leaders emerge from scholarship program
EL CENTRO — Two local students who demonstrated a strong desire and aptitude to become leaders in their respective chosen fields of study were recently selected as the recipients of two prestigious UCSD Academic Connections scholarships.
The two winners are among a total of 48 local high school students who will be taking part in the three-week University of California, San Diego Academic Connections scholarship program at its campus this summer.
Along with their cohorts, this year’s recipients of the program’s Global Environmental Leadership and Sustainability scholarships were honored on May 29 with a dinner and reception at Corfman School.
The reception also paid tribute to the lifelong activism of Fresno resident Gilbert Padilla, whose close ties to the Valley resulted in one of the prestigious scholarships being named in his honor.
Padilla, a longtime community activist and farm worker organizer, presented his namesake scholarship to Holtville High student Yahaira Cortez, whose winning essay stood out for her desire to help others find the courage and strength to bring about positive change.
“Be the leader that you say you’re going to be,” Padilla said upon handing Cortez a certificate of recognition for her efforts.
The summer program has been available to Valley students for the past five years and provides participating ninth- to 12-grade students an opportunity to take college courses while staying on campus with students from across the country and globe.
When the scholarship program was initially offered to local students, its intent was to provide a full scholarship to a student from each of the Valley’s high schools.
Since then, the program has also grown to include local Migrant Education Program students, whose cost of participation is split equally using MEP and UCSD funds. To date, a total of 132 local students have received full or partial scholarships to the program.
As part of the Global Environmental Leadership and Sustainability scholarship, Cortez will work alongside faculty researchers and graduate students in Washington, D.C., exploring the causes and effects of climate change on the earth’s systems.
Joining Cortez in the nation’s capital will be Central Union High student Jacqueline Rios, this year’s recipient of the Superintendent’s Global Environmental Leadership and Sustainability scholarship, chosen by county Office of Education chief Todd Finnell.
Rios will be tasked with connecting environmental research with policymaking on Capitol Hill, and write an issue paper with her findings to present to the Valley’s congressional representatives while there.
Rios was also singled out for the prestigious scholarship after her essay highlighted her desire to inspire a generation of leaders “whose creativity and ambition make a lasting mark on this world.”