Twenty high school students from the Montebello Unified School District were awarded $9,500 in scholarships through The Shops at Montebello’s Scholarship Awards, meant to recognize graduating seniors in the community and help them continue their education.
The scholarship program was created in 1985, when the center opened, as a way to assist local students in recognizing their educational goals and to provide initial monetary support to achieve those goals.
“We’re honored that we’re able to support the academic endeavors of promising and driven youth within the Montebello community,” said Marida Petitjean, director of marketing and business development at The Shops at Montebello. “Our hope is that our scholarships will help remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education.”
Candidates were evaluated on criteria that included a combination of academic accomplishments, work experience, involvement in the community and an essay detailing why it is important to further their educational path after high school. In addition to the completed application form, applicants were also required to submit letters of recommendation and a current school transcript.
Award recipients included the following high school seniors from the Montebello Unified School District:
Itzia Rosas and Juan Carlos Carmona—Community Day School
Graciela Jimenez, Narak Bin and Salvador Moreno—Vail High School
Benjamin Limones, Daisy Zavala, Noel Esparza Duran, Roberto Ulloa and Yessica Tellez-Escobedo—Bell Gardens High School
Emily Castro, Gia H. Duong, James G. Kladouris, Malachi Lee Jackson and Maribel A. Medina—Montebello High School
Elizabeth Moreno, Ellen N. Murana, Erick Rojas Garcia, Carina Areli Macias and Karina Amor—Schurr High School.