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| Hilda Solis |
Eight Cal Poly Pomona students from a variety of disciplines will be awarded scholarships during the 14th annual Hilda L. Solis Scholarship Dinner and Reception on Friday, Feb. 6 at Kellogg West Conference Center. The keynote address will be given by Sal Castro, a teacher and activist for education reform.
Named in honor of U.S. Representative and Cal Poly Pomona alumna Hilda L. Solis, the scholarship fund has awarded more than $60,000 to students who display strong academic achievements and community service involvement. Solis is President Obama's cabinet nominee to be the Secretary of Labor.
The scholarship dinner and reception is hosted by the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education and the Cal Poly Pomona Raices (Hispanic) Alumni Chapter. In addition to awarding scholarships, the event is an opportunity to recognize prominent leaders in the Latino community by awarding them the Nopal and Tuna del Nopal awards. Past distinguished honorees and guests have included Andy Garcia, Gregory Nava, Isabel Allende, Carmen Zapata and Simon Silva.
This year, Antonia Hernandez will receive the Nopal Award, and the Tuna del Nopal Award will be given to Max Espinoza. Hernandez, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, has worked to protect the civil rights of Latinos through the legal system, community education, and research and policy initiatives. From his undergraduate career, Espinoza has been committed to fighting for educational equity and diversity. Currently, he is the senior adviser and legislative director to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
The 2009 scholarship recipients are:
- Berenice Sanchez, Management & Human Resources
- Paula Yaez, Glendora High School
- Juan Jose Alvarez, Patriot High School
- Patsy Martinez, Political Science
- Ryan Evaro, Ontario Christian High School
- David Ramirez, Paramount High School
- Andrea L. Gonzalez, Civil Engineering
- Paola Beas, Gender, Ethnicity and Multicultural Studies
For more information, visit the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education's website at www.dsa.cpp.edu/cesarchavez/.