*This article includes quotes in Spanish. BenitoLink offers Google Translate for readers.
Over the past two years, the Latino Generations Committee (LGC) has helped students of a Latino background follow their dreams to achieve higher education. On Thursday, June 15, friends and family gathered at the Hollister Recreation Center to award students who possess an economic need and will be attending either a two-year or four-year university or a certified vocational training institution with scholarships that will help them further their education.
The Latino Generations Scholarship Program began in 2016 with a single gift of $10,000 from Father Larry Betrozoff. The program awarded eight Latinas who graduated from San Benito High School.
With matching funds from the Community Foundation for San Benito County, LGC was able to raise a total of approximately $33,000, granting it the opportunity to award 10 students this year. Two of those students had received the grant the previous year and will be attending their second year of college in the fall.
Kathy Flores, chair of the LGC, and Enrique Arreola, vice chair of the committee, welcomed everyone to the reception and introduced the recipients. “Este proceso no fue muy facil porque es muy difícil escoger a una persona sobre otra persona porque todos en mi opinion se lo merecen,” said Arreola. (“This process was not very easy because it is very difficult to choose a person over another person because everyone, in my opinion, deserves it.”
Chair of the LGC Ana Maria De Alba addressed the students by saying, “All of you have brought so much hope because you represent the future of our community.” She later went on to say in Spanish, “Cada uno de ustedes seguirán sus metas en la vida pero siempre tendrán algo en común, la determinación de seguir adelante a pesar de sus batallas del pasado y del futuro y por eso los felicito.” (“Each of you will follow your goals in life but you will always have something in common, the determination to move forward despite your battles of the past and the future; and for that, I congratulate you.”)
During the reception, attendees learned about each student and heard stories of personal hardships along with challenges and obstacles they had encountered in pursuit of higher education.
Adriana Duran, who will be attending Sacramento State, said she hopes to pursue a career in special education.
“Your passion to become a special education teacher says so much about you,” De Alba said of Duran. “This field is very demanding physically and mentally but very much overlooked by society. You have a goal in your life that stems from your own experiences with special needs people. You have given them the understanding, patience, friendship and above all everlasting love that they yearn for.”
Duran’s mom, Celeste, said she was very proud of her daughter and noted reasons why she chose this career path.
“This is part of who she is. My brother is special needs and we have a few family members who are special needs. That’s pretty much all she’s ever known. She’s been an advocate pretty much her entire life and she has worked really, really hard at trying to include all these children and even when my brother comes to visit and I don’t have quite the patience that she does, she fills in the gaps,” Celeste Duran said.
Vivian De Jesus came to the United States without knowing English or Spanish. Her family spoke only Trique (a native language of Oaxaca) making it hard for her to communicate with others. As a result, she was held back in kindergarten and became isolated from other children. With the help of her teachers she was able to learn Spanish and English, making her trilingual. She is the first in her family to graduate from high school and the first to attend college. She will be attending Gavilan College and is hoping to transfer to San Jose State University to pursue a career as a translator.
Ruben Sobreyra will be attending the Univeristy of California, Davis and will major in civil engineering. Although he expressed sadness for leaving his mother, sisters and brothers behin,d his goal is to become an engineer and a math teacher.
Yumira Perez is a returning recipient. She is attending Sacramento State and is majoring in social work with a minor in criminal justice. Her goal is to attain her master’s degree and one day work for Child Protective Services because, “I want to keep children in a safe atmosphere and in a place where they feel loved.”
Georgina Patino is also a second-year recipient and a student at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. She is majoring in psychology with a double minor in counseling and social work. Patino began working when she was 15 to help her single mother, whose yearly income was less than $17,000. During her first year at Grand Canyon University, Georgina was a full-time student and worked full-time at a restaurant on campus.
Julio Salazar will be attending the University of the Pacific and majoring in mechanical engineering. He hopes to develop prosthetics for those who do not have full mobility or for those who have lost their limbs. In his personal statement he wrote, “The world is a rough place filled with many unresolved issues. People from around the world do what they can to help sustain peace and order. I am one of these people. A person born in a small town wanting to make a difference in a big world. I am a person who is willing to sacrifice themselves for the peace and safety of his friends and family. I am a person who doesn’t do things because he has too but because he wants to. I am no hero willing to loose everything for a title. I’m just a common person with a dream.”
Karina Rosas will be attending U.C. Berkeley and majoring in architecture. She ranked 22nd in her class of more than 600 and was the captain of the San Benito High School color guard. She was also part of Club ED.
Giovanna Flores will be attending San Jose State University and majoring in social work. In her personal statement, she wrote, “I want to pursue a career as a social worker for CPS because I want to help kids and families that have troubled lives.”
Diana Sanchez Ruiz will be attending U.C. Berkeley and will be majoring in chemical engineering. She graduated with a GPA of 4.275 and ranked fourth in her class.
Her mom, Rosario Ruiz, said she was thankful to the LGC for supporting her daughter and shared her family’s personal struggles.
“Hemos pasado por momentos muy difíciles. Lo que te quiero agradecer, Diana, es que tu sabes todo lo que hemos vivido y lo que me ha mantenido de pie. Es que cuando esta jovencita tenia solo diez años y no teníamos en donde vivir. Ella nos abrazo a todas con sus bracitos tan hermosos que tiene… y nos dijo, ‘no se preocupen por perder las casa. La casa no es la familia. La familia somos nosotras mientras estemos unidas.’ Y cuando pasó momentos difíciles que ella me ha visto derrumbar me, me acuerdo de esas frases,” she said. “Esta beca para mi y para ella es bien importante porque yo sabía que ella tenía talentos pero cuando una mama no puede cumplirle sus sueños se le viene el mundo encima y al encontrar comunidades tan maravillosas que apoyan la verdad se los agradesco.” (“We have had very difficult times. What I want to thank you for, Diana, is that you know everything that we have lived and what has kept me standing. When this young girl was only 10 years old, we had no place to live. She hugged everyone with her arms … and she said, ‘Do not worry about losing the house. The house is not the family. The family is us as long as we are together. And when it came to difficult times that she has seen me collapse, I remember those phrases. This scholarship for me and for her is very important because I knew that she had talents but when a mom can not fulfill her dreams, the world comes to her and to find such wonderful communities that support the truth, I thank them.”
Hernan Chavez, who was not able to attend the reception due to prior commitments, will be attending Gavilan College. He was recently elected LULAC California state president and served as SBHS Associate Student Body and student council president. In his personal statement, he wrote, “I want to have a job where I can help my community grow into a safe and progressive environment for everyone. My goal is to have a career where I can inspire and empower the Latino community to be successful and aware of what’s going on around them. Also to become more involved in the community and to educate themselves and others.”
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