California Wine Grape Growers Foundation Awards $29,500 in Student Scholarships

SACRAMENTO – The California Wine Grape Growers Foundation (CWGGF) has awarded nine students $29,500 in college scholarships. The scholarships are awarded annually to students whose parent or legal guardian is employed by a California winegrape grower.

“All of the scholarship recipients are inspirational, high-achieving and ambitious, and we admire their outstanding accomplishments as students and leaders,” said JR Shannon, chairman of CWGGF’s board of directors. “Some of the recipients are the first in their family to attend college. We are honored to provide these scholarships to very deserving students and to show our support for vineyard employees who are valued members of our winegrape grower family.”

Each year the nine-member CWGGF 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, CWGGF has awarded $363,000 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. The two-year scholarships are $2,000 each for students attending a California community college. This year, an additional four-year scholarship of $4,000 was awarded.

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 provides $500 for a student attending Allan Hancock Community College and $1,000 for a student attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

2016 CWGGF SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

Four-Year Scholarship Recipients

Citlaly Correa, Anderson Valley Junior Senior High School, Boonville

Julian Hernandez, North High School, Bakersfield

Jose Rosa, Firebaugh High School, Firebaugh

 

Two-Year Scholarship Recipients

Lizbeth Cordova, Greenfield High School, Greenfield

Mayra Jimenez-Rosas, Ukiah High School, Ukiah

Guadalupe Nava-Franco, Ukiah High School, Ukiah

Ulises Sanchez, Potter Valley High School, Potter Valley

 

Robert Miller Memorial Scholarship

Nelly Guerra, Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria

Madison White, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo

 

ABOUT THE RECIPIENTS
As part of the scholarship application, students are required to submit an essay (approximately 500 words) describing themselves and their career goals. Below are summaries of those essays.

Citlaly Correa, Anderson Valley Jr./Sr. High School, Boonville

Born in Mexico, Citlaly immigrated to the United States when she was six with her hardworking single mother. Two years later, her mother remarried and Citlaly had a new stepfather and stepsisters. Her stepfather, a seasonal field worker at a winery, was a guiding influence. Citlaly’s dream is to become a doctor and give back to her community and help others. “People have tried to discourage me from pursuing this career by telling me that I will not be able to achieve this dream of mine, but I have remained motivated despite this.” Her plan is to major in biology (pre-med) followed by medical school.

Julian Hernandez, North High School, Bakersfield

With a passion for assisting others, Julian’s educational aspirations and career goals are focused on becoming a physician. He hopes to attend San Francisco State University, followed by graduate and medical school. “I am committed to working hard in school to make my dreams a reality.” Julian was ranked number one in his class out of 380 students and was involved in numerous clubs and extra-curricular activities. The scholarship will be a “great head start on pursuing my career, so I can contribute back to the U.S. population by assisting those who do not have access to medical assistance.”

Jose Rosa, Firebaugh High School, Firebaugh

Jose came to the United States with resolute purpose. He departed his native country, “escaping poverty, violence and hopelessness.” He has continually needed to find a way to compensate financial need with academic rigor. His greatest academic accomplishment was participating in the academic decathlon, through which he finished first in five subjects. Jose’s goals are to pursue a degree and career in economics. He volunteers in his community and plans to continue helping others in the future. “There are a lot of obstacles that have the potential to deter those goals.” With the scholarship, he will ensure that it “can be utilized towards obtaining wisdom beyond high school.”

Lizbeth Cordova, Greenfield High School, Greenfield

Lizbeth is a determined, hard-working student who loves to help people and her community. She has served more than 70 hours as a community event volunteer and is active in numerous school clubs. “Throughout the years I have developed leadership qualities and skills to be a leader.” Two years ago her family’s house burned down, but she and her family overcame the tragedy. Lizbeth also had a personal health issue, but is “determined that nothing is going to stop me from conquering my dreams.” She plans to study an agriculture-related major at Hartnell College and pursue a career in the agricultural industry.

Mayra Jimenez-Rosas, Ukiah High School, Ukiah

Mayra’s parents only attended school until the 6th grade, but they have always motivated and pushed her to succeed in school. Mayra’s extracurricular activities have included school clubs, tennis team, track and field, her church and community groups. “All of these activities have helped shape me into the caring woman I am today.” Mayra has witnessed her mom’s struggle with coronary heart disease and it motivated her to think about a medical career. She wants to be a nurse, earn a bachelor’s degree and hopefully become a pediatric doctor. “I want to challenge myself through life in order to become someone I aspire to be.”

Guadalupe Nava-Franco, Ukiah High School, Ukiah

Life has not always been easy for Guadalupe and her hardworking family. Their struggles and limited opportunities motivated her to pursue a higher education. The heartbreaking loss of her mother to cancer inspired Guadalupe to pursue her goal of becoming a nurse. “I want to become a nurse because nurses are compassionate, patient and understanding. I want to help people.” Guadalupe already enjoys helping people in her school and community by participating in various service clubs that tutor students, host cultural events and do highway cleanups. “The scholarship… will have a big impact not just for me, but for my family as well.”

Ulises Sanchez, Potter Valley High School, Potter Valley

Ulises has a strong work ethic and focus due to work, academics and playing multiple sports. Throughout his high school years, he worked in the vineyards and helped his father with his landscaping jobs. “These life experiences have motivated me to further my education in chemistry and agricultural sciences.” He developed a deep interest in science and planned to host a science fair for his senior project. Ulises will be the first in his family to attend a four-year university. “I hope to pave the way for my siblings and demonstrate that with hard work, one can achieve their goals.”

Nelly Guerra, Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria

Nelly has a passion for agriculture and believes that hard work pays off when you believe in what you do. Some family issues motivated her to join clubs, volunteer in her community and make a difference. She is involved with 4-H, FFA and D.A.R.E. “FFA has helped me shape my knowledge about viticulture. Nelly has also gained experience as a lab assistant for UC Cooperative Extension. With her family’s continued support, her goals are to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and eventually become a farm advisor or work in the viticulture business. “I have a positive mind and that is what is keeping me going in life.”

 Madison White, Cal Poly SLO, San Luis Obispo

Madison is the first in her family to attend a university and she has big plans for her future. She has been a student at Cal Poly for three years, pursuing a degree in wine and viticulture. Madison also held a full harvest internship at J. Lohr Vineyards and Winery, where she learned about all aspects of the business. “There are so many amazing opportunities in the wine industry for improvement and growth.” Her focus is on people and jobs. “If I can be in the wine industry to simply provide jobs and help other vineyard managers and winemakers find quality workers, that is my greatest purpose.”

About the California Wine Grape Growers Foundation: CWGGF is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that awards scholarships to high school seniors whose parent or legal guardian is employed by a California winegrape grower. For more information, visit www.cwggf.org.

Contacts:

• John Aguirre, CAWG President, 916-379-8995, john@cawg.org