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-Editorial
The Imperial County Office of Education’s (ICOE) Foundation for Education is proud to announce that it has awarded over $18,000 in scholarships to 32 deserving local students.
The Foundation for Education scholarship program is dedicated to increasing college access and success for Imperial County’s most vulnerable students, including at-risk youth and students with special needs. This year’s recipients include graduates from Brawley Union High School, Imperial High School, Southwest High School, Valley Academy, and Imperial Pathways Charter School, ICOE’s drop-out recovery program for individuals 17 and over.
“Our scholarship recipients have all demonstrated incredible resilience in the face of challenges,” said Dr. Todd Finnell, ICOE Superintendent and President of the Foundation for Education. “Their dedication to pursuing their education is truly inspiring, and we are honored to support them on their journey.”
Four additional students from Central Union High School, Imperial High School, and Southwest High School were also awarded a scholarship through the Foundation’s Higher Education Week Scholarship Program.
Each of these $500 scholarships will help students offset the cost of tuition, academic fees, and other college expenses.
The Foundation for Education also sponsored a student from Imperial High School, to participate in UCSD’s Academic Connections program, a three-week summer residential program.
Since launching its scholarship program in 2019-2020, the Foundation for Education has steadily grown its impact, awarding nearly $60,000 to local students over the past 5 years. “We are incredibly grateful for the continued support and generous contributions from our community. Our scholarship program is empowering local students to pursue their dreams. We couldn’t be more proud of their hard work and dedication and wish them all the best in their academic journey,” added Dr. Finnell.
This year’s scholarship recipients will be recognized during the Imperial County Office of Education Board Meeting on June 10, 2024. The ICOE Board meeting will take place at 5:30 pm at the Imperial County Office of Education (Building C-FLC). The Foundation will also recognize Carina Beltran, a 7th grader from St. Mary’s School, who won the Spelling Bee in March and represented Imperial County at the National Spelling Bee Competition in May. Carina reached the quarterfinals and spelled words like ptyxis, inducement, and Leith correctly. She finished in a very strong 60th place (tied) out of 245 Spellers.
