Grossmont College

Finding Support For Students Beating The Odds

GROSSMONT COLLEGE -- If you want to feel better about the youth of America -- or at least of East County -- stop by at one of the twice annual scholarship award ceremonies conducted by Grossmont College.

The Spring Scholarship Awards breakfast was held Saturday in the beautiful new student center on the junior college's campus and the event was filled with the quietly heroic stories that fuel many of the college careers being launched by junior colleges.

There were immigrants from Afghanistan and Japan, learning both English and college level subjects at the same time. There were graduates of the foster care system who don't talk a lot about their youths, but are building their own adulthood alone. There were a number of students excelling in their classes while also carrying the weight of being the first in their families to experience college.

"Every one of them has a story and it is great to see them get help from the community,'' said Ernie Ewin, the La Mesa City Council member who also works raising money for Grossmont.

Students, faculty and family gathered for an early breakfast Saturday and shared applause for each other as their mentors enumerated the efforts that raised these students up for recognition and financial support.

Clark Mires, a retired staff member of the college's theater department, took a few moments to remind all of some of the great careers in American theater that had their roots at Grossmont. Mires brought words of thanks from Tony Award winning alumni and listed a number of other alums now working in local and national theater and television production companies.

In ways, the Saturday breakfast was a sort of 'best of times, worst of times' moment. While the students were excelling and the new facilities at Grossmont are state-of-the-art, Grossmont, like all public educational institutions in California today, are facing challenges in the face of state funding cuts. Classes are being reduced and students are finding it harder to get the credits toward their degrees.

But, for this morning, the focus was on those students and their success so far.

The following students received special scholarship stipends at Saturday's event:

Chase Granito, marketing.

Elizabeth Vargas, nursing.

Reem Jammaa, EOPS program.

Stephanie Diaz-Gonzalez, DSPS Disabilities.

Hao Huynh, Financial Aid Department

Brianna Muniz, Samantha Seabrooks, Dance.

Hao Xu, International student.

Kyle Swatzell, theater technical arts.

Alexandra Koutsenok, theater arts.

Joann Schneck, re-entry student.

Victor Castro, criminal justice.

Alixandra Mendoza, Satoe Nagasaka, theater arts.

Habibi Manuchehr, biology.

Samuel Bauza, student support.

Peggy Marcus, re-entry student.

Jeffery Telmo, occupational therapy.

Jessica Beaver, Valerie Bruce, Anh Dinh, Janeane Horan, Hillary Mills, Ponteah Pirouzah, Jennifer Whitney, Barnes & Noble book awards.

Taylor Burgdorf, foster youth award.

Shane Fabila, photographic arts.

Marissa Gonzalez, Yu Chien Hsiao, health care.

Enrique Cervantes, creative writing.

Hadil Safar, Grossmont Foundation award.

The following students received $1,000 scholarships from The Bernard Osher Foundation:

Keiara Allen, Marisol Benter, Alina Bilal, Edwin Cruz, Diaz-Gonazalez, Amber Free, Marissa Gonzalez, Chase Granito, Enrique Herrera, Brittney Jara, Narcissa Jones, Thirada Kingphuang, Hillary Mills, Gissel Moreno, Arianne Moseley, Kristine Ogden, Antonika Pittman, David Ratliff, Nisreen Rofaeel, Hadil Safar, Sandra Safar, Joann Schneck, Wais Seddiqi, Christina Schwartz, Kyle Swatzell, Marcia Wilcox.