Cerritos College Foundation issues scholarships

NORWALK - The Cerritos College Foundation recently awarded thousands of dollars worth of scholarships to local students, including some from Downey.

Below is a round-up of scholarship recipients:

The $500 Granada Family Scholarship to Lorelie Roska of Bellflower.

"I promise to continue working hard and look forward to the day I can give back to students working toward achieving their goals, just as the Granada Family has helped me," said Roska as she received the scholarship.

The mechanical engineering major plans to transfer to California State University, Long Beach next fall.

The scholarship was established by siblings Evelyn Granada-Enriquez, Erlinda Granada-Sabah, Manuel Granada, and Roy Granada to provide financial support to a Cerritos College student of Filipino ethnicity.

Student Allegra Celestine of Los Angeles received two scholarships, the first being the $1,000 HAB Bank Business Scholarship which was established in 2004 by HAB Bank to recognize outstanding business students. The bank's Chief Operating Officer Saleem Iqbal serves as a Cerritos College Foundation board member.

The second scholarship was the $1,000 Jean O Michael Scholarship which was established in honor of Jean Michael, wife of retired Cerritos College President Dr. Wilford Michael. This scholarship is awarded annually to a female re-entry student majoring in business.

Celestine is a re-entry student pursuing her degree in business management. She plans on transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills next fall to pursue her bachelor's degree. Celestine has always enjoyed cooking and dreams of opening her own catering business. She looks forward to giving back to the community.

"I am so grateful for these scholarships, it is such a blessing to me and my family," Celestine said.

Student Daniel Rizo Jacobo of Compton received the $500 John Moore First Step Scholarship, which was established by John Moore, a now-retired 19-year member of the Cerritos College Board of Trustees to give others the opportunity he received and to help first semester college students who show promise of success.

Moore grew up in south central Los Angeles and never imagined that he would go to college. He was lucky enough to be the recipient of a scholarship right out of high school that gave him the boost he needed.

Jacobo is in his first semester at Cerritos College. Throughout high school, he took multiple AP and honors courses such as calculus, chemistry and government and ranked 70 out of a class of 1,154 students earning a high school GPA of 3.7. The computer science major hopes to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley in the fall of 2015.

Physical Therapist Assistant Program Chair Julie Bathke presented the $500 Mark and Barnett Chen Physical Therapy Scholarship to Sage Crum of Long Beach.

Crum is in his second year of the Physical Therapist Assistant program. He has already earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton and worked in a variety of health fields before returning to school including developing gymnastics and swimming programs for children with autism.

"Your support inspires and motivates me to give back to those in need," said Crum as he received the award.

This scholarship was established in 2009 by Angela Lindstrom to honor her parents, Mark & Barnett Chen. Each year the scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student in the PTA program and Nursing program.

Students Melanie Brebaugh of Paramount, Mayra Jimenez of Downey and Halyna Le from Garden Grove received the $500 Alice Wang Scholarship which was established in honor of Alice Wang, the wife of Foundation board member J.P. Wang.

The Wangs actively support academic endeavors of low-income students through scholarships. Annually, six $500 scholarships are awarded to single mothers who major in Child Development, or other students who demonstrate outstanding academics.

"The financial generosity of Mr. J.P. and Alice Wang has allowed me to get one step closer to my goal and has motivated me to put my best efforts into helping others by giving back to the community," said Le.

The Ameripec, Inc. Scholarship was established by the Wangs' family friends Ping and Norma Wu, who were inspired by the Wangs' commitment to education and student success. The Wu's established a scholarship last year to provide financial support to Cerritos College students formerly in the foster care system.

Yvette Tafoya, assistant director of EOPS, presented the $500 scholarships to Tommy Diaz of Downey, Joshua Mazyck of Cerritos and Junely Merwin of Downey.

Students Scarlett Hernandez and Maelianne Washington of Bellflower received the Bellflower Noon Lions Club Scholarship which recognizes students who have lived, worked or attended school in the city of Bellflower. The recipients were awarded $1,000 each in recognition of their community service and involvement.

The scholarship was presented by Club Member and Cerritos College Foundation Chairman Dr. Eric Ikeda.

Hernandez is a liberal arts major who has always enjoyed working with children. She recently completed an internship at the Cerritos College Child Development Center. Hernandez is in the college's Teacher TRAC program and will be transferring to California State University, Long Beach next fall to pursue her bachelor's degree and would like to one day teach preschool or elementary school.

Automotive management and marketing major Washington is completing her first semester at Cerritos College. While in high school, she competed in the Senior Automotive Competition earning a second place finish. Washington is active in her church and has volunteered in numerous ministries. She would eventually like to earn a bachelor's degree from Northwood University at Cerritos College and own a Chrysler dealership.

The recipients of the Cheryl A. Epple Memorial Scholarship were Eduardo De La Rosa of Artesia and Stephanie Martinez of Whittier.

Sean Cervantes of Downey received the $1,800 Carmen Solis Pratt Scholarship, established by retired Norwalk Superior Court Judge Dan Pratt established the Carmen Solis Pratt Re-Entry Scholarship in 2001 in memory of his mother who valued education, but was never able to attend college herself.

********** Published: Dec. 12, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 35