Tag: Scholarships

Ginamarie Richards (on the right) with principal Lily Pena (on the left), Quail Valley Elementary School, Menifee | Courtesy Photos

For the thousands of children and teenagers in the foster care system, there are many hurdles that limit their chance of graduation. In 2021 the California Department of Education reported that the statewide average high school graduation rate for students in foster care is an alarming 55% and only 10% will go onto college.

As the Soboba Foundation fully supports education and the pursuit of higher education for all students within the San Jacinto Valley, the nonprofit honored eight local high school graduates with a $2,500 scholarship to give them a jumpstart on their higher education goals. Most of the checks and proclamations for each student were awarded during the individual school’s senior awards ceremonies, held prior to commencement.

In honor of Earth Day 2021, fifteen members and family members of Division 33 (Hemet/San Jacinto) of the California Retired Teachers Association spent a cold, drizzly morning scouting the grounds surrounding the Hemet-Ryan Airport in southwest Hemet for trash, packing at least fifteen Earth Day plastic bags with bottles, cans, fast food packaging and a variety of miscellaneous refuse tossed along the roadway.

Four local seniors earned some financial assistance for college because of their dedication to community service. Celina Abushawish, Mariam Mekhael, Kennedy Perry and Diana Sagastume were chosen among 35 applicants to receive scholarships from Soroptimist International of San Jacinto-Hemet Valley, a nonprofit that is a branch of Soroptimist International of the Americas.