Generosity in Action
Celebrating 2025 Scholarship Awardees
Thanks to generous past and present donors who funded $417,600 in scholarships this year, 47 students in Santa Cruz County are one step closer to attending college. The Community Foundation awarded scholarships ranging from $2,400 to $20,000, totaling $417,600 and significantly surpassing our 2024 awards amount. Over the course of four decades, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.6 million in scholarships to over 500 students. Sixty-four percent of this year’s awardees are first generation college students, turning their parents’ and grandparents’ dreams of higher education into reality.
The class of 2025 was the first to come into the post-COVID high school reality and weathered multiple climate disasters. But despite the instability they experienced, their commitment to their future never wavered. The STEM fields were widely represented, as schools’ emphasis on math, science, and technology continued to inspire local youth to pursue careers in the hard sciences. Others heard the call to work for change through the social sciences, with numerous future government officials and immigration lawyers in the ranks. But almost all drew strength from the desire to honor their parents’ sacrifices.
“For many of these students,” says Kevin Heuer, Director of Community Engagement & Impact at the Community Foundation, “their driving motivation is to attain a higher level of education than their parents could. Although they face new challenges as federal policy changes continue to impact higher education, STEM research, and loan repayment programs, their perseverance and the generosity of community members will help them achieve their goals.”
"I am truly grateful for your generosity and belief in students like me; it's a reminder that I'm not alone on this journey. Thanks to you, I feel even more excited and determined to achieve my goals and one day be in a position to give back and help others, just like you've helped me."
- Jennifer Fernandez-Zamora, recipient of the Isabel Fowler Sewell and John L. Turner Scholarships
Generations of Donors Paying it Forward
These awards are made possible thanks to the rich history of local families contributing to young scholars’ success by giving to scholarship funds held at the Community Foundation. Donors have been inspired to give back to a school they loved, to support equitable access to opportunity, or to champion paths to education for working parents.
Born and raised in Santa Cruz County and a Watsonville High School graduate, Richard Crocker knows well the challenges some local families face in trying to achieve their educational goals. In 2024, Richard and his wife started the Richard and Theresa Crocker Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation. The award is granted to local graduating high school seniors from any Santa Cruz County high school or any Cabrillo College student in good standing that’s interested in a trade or vocational education. Richard says, "I am gratified by the motivation of the students. To see the kids work so hard and strive for great lives through education is very important to us. The students go on to improve the community and the world around them!”
Meet the 47 local students who received scholarships through Community Foundation Santa Cruz County in 2025.
BARBARA J. THOMPSON SCHOLARSHIP
Amber Naccari, Santa Cruz High School (Sacramento State)
Daniel Fernandez, Cabrillo College (University of Southern California)
Makenna McIntyre, Delta Charter (Cabrillo College)
Zara Duran, Soquel High School (UC Davis)
BERT AND CAROLYN POST SCHOLARSHIP
Daniel Suarez-Alonso, Ceiba College Prep (UC Davis)
Nelsy Cruz-Hernandez, Watsonville High School (CSU Monterey Bay
BOB AND BETSY DARROW SCHOLARSHIP
Adriana Gonzales-Vasquez, Watsonville High School (San José State University)
Alex Aparicio Hernandez, Harbor High School (San José State University)
BURTON SCHOLARSHIP
Daniel Esqueda, Aptos High School (University of Southern California)
Eden Hurtado, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
Emilio Sostenes-Flores, Watsonville High School (UC San Diego)
Gabriel Lara-Hernandez, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
Janeth Marcos-Marcos, Watsonville High School (Santa Clara University)
Mariza Duran-Santiago, Pajaro Valley High School (UC Davis)
Wendy Melgoza-Zamora, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
Yasmin Salas, Watsonville High School (UC Santa Barbara)
Zaida Garcia, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
EMMETT AND ELSIE GEISER SCHOLARSHIP
Berkeley Ashby, Aptos High School (UC San Diego)
Gamble Kellermyer, Aptos High School (San Jose State)
Valeria Guzman-Rocha, Watsonville High School (Santa Clara University)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCHOLARSHIP
Jahiya Clark (UC Santa Cruz)
Nautica Harriott Jones (UC Santa Cruz)
Serena Barasi (UC Santa Cruz)
ERNEST V. COWELL SCHOLARSHIP
Ramon Gimeno-Herrera, Aptos High School (UC Berkeley)
GILES FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
Margaret Machado, Aptos High School (UC Santa Cruz)
HANK GARCIA JR. AND FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
Angelica Bayuga, St. Francis High School (Loyola University)
Carlos Vega, Pajaro Valley High School (UC Berkeley)
Isabel Piccini, Monte Vista Christian School (University of San Diego)
Mayda Juarez-Ortiz, Watsonville High School (Cabrillo College)
Paula Rocha-Meza, Aptos High School (San Jose State)
ISABEL FOWLER SEWELL SCHOLARSHIP
Angela Belmontes-Fernandez, Pajaro Valley High School (Santa Clara University)
Jaice Williamson, San Lorenzo Valley High School (Indiana University)
Jose Lopez, Watsonville High School (CSU Monterey Bay)
Joselyn Leon-Gonzalez, Pajaro Valley High School (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)
Yasmin Alvarez Tamayo, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
Jennifer Fernandez-Zamora, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
JOHN L. TURNER SCHOLARSHIP
Jennifer Fernandez-Zamora, Watsonville High School (UC Davis)
JUDY ANTON WOMAN OF VALOR / LUPITA LOVES TO READ PROJECT SCHOLARSHIP
Adriana Reyes (Cabrillo College)
LAURA SEGURA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Gloria Armenta (Cabrillo College)
Natasha Martinez (Cabrillo College)
LOUIS J. AND MARY ELLEN SCHULTZ SCHOLARSHIP
Tamanna Khatri, Harbor High School (UC Santa Barbara)
MATT’S CLIMB CAMP TUITION
Bradley Locatelli, Cypress Charter High School
R.H. BEEL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Mariana Orountiotis-Kelly, Santa Cruz High School (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)
RICHARD AND THERESA CROCKER SCHOLARSHIP
Isela Ramirez (Cabrillo College)
Ruben Canchola-Jimenez (Cabrillo College)
Yadira Melgoza, Pajaro Valley High School (Cabrillo College)
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP
Dylan Hermanson, Santa Cruz High School (UC Santa Cruz)
SIMUNOVICH FAMILY AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP
Diego Romero-Avalos, Watsonville High School (CSU Monterey Bay)
