Past Scholarship Winners

For the past ten years Vecinos has provided scholarships to students in South Pasadena. These students personify our shared values of hard work, perseverance and a commitment to community.

2021 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Tonalli Garcia-Rodriguez

Tonalli Garcia-Rodriguez – $3,000

Tonalli will attend UCLA where she plans to major in Latin American Studies.  She hopes to combine her love of film-making with her studies in Latin culture.

Katelyn Hernandez

Katelyn Hernandez – $1,500

Katelyn will attend Cal Poly Pomona where she plans to major in Political Science.

Brian Zepeda

Brian Zepeda – $500

Brian will attend PCC with a desire to transfer to a four-year college to pursue a degree in photography.

2020 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Alexander Parra

Alexander Parra – $2,500

Alexander will attend U.C. Berkeley in the fall and major in Computer Science.  

Anthony Uriarte

Anthony Uriarte – $2,500 

Anthony will attend New York University in the fall where he will pursue a degree in business with a concentration on finance, where, upon completion he’ll be poised to pursue a career in finance on Wall Street.

Evelyn Valencia

Evelyn Valencia  – $1,000 

Evelyn will continue her education at Pasadena City College initially and plans to transfer to a UC using the Pathways Program.  She plans to major in business.



2019 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Sarah Uriarte

Sarah Uriarte – $1,500

(awarded $500 in 2019 & $1,000 in 2020) 

Sarah will attend Brown University in the fall and plans to enroll in the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), which includes both undergraduate and medical school studies. After medical school she hopes to start her own clinic as a medical physician.  She hopes to use both her medical training and Spanish as a doctor treating Latino communities.

Andrés Oyaga

Andrés Oyaga -$1,500

(awarded $500 in 2019 & $1,000 in 2020)

Andres will attend Middlebury College in Vermont in the fall. Andés desires to become a Conservation Biologist with a focus on protecting the whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez. He’d like to become a scientist at the World Wildlife Fund and help  lead the conversation about the dangers of plastic pollution.



2018 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Marisa Amaya (left) with John Acevedo

Marisa Amaya – $2,000

Marisa plans to attend the University of Oregon, where she will major in Political Science with a minor in Spanish. Her future goals include law school and immersing herself in civil rights by working as a bilingual attorney or running for public office.

Will Hoadley-Brill (left) with John Acevedo

Will Hoadley-Brill –  $1,500

Will’s goal is to empower people with systems and resources to become their ideal selves. He’ll be attending The George Washington University in the Fall majoring in International Relations with an emphasis in conflict resolution. He hopes to gain an international platform from which he can serve the neediest in the world and promote a global culture of caring and empathy.

Thank you note from Madalyn Orozco

Madalyn Orozco – $500

Madalyn’s goal is to graduate from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Psychology, then to pursue a Master’s degree and become a credentialed clinician.

She aspires to work in a low performing school district with first generation students and
build a connection with the students and parents alike.

2017 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

  • Madelin Ruth Cordon – $2,000
  • Anissa Santos – $1,500
  • Nour Mallat- $500

2016 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

  • Christina Valdivia- Gatmaitan – $2,000
  • Oskar Alexander Hernandez – $2,000
  • Marissa Sanchez – $1,500
  • Jung Su Park – $500

2015 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

2015 Winners
  • Adam Martin Espinoza, $3,000 –Adam will major in computer science and business and be the next Silicon Valley entrepreneur. He will attend USC in the fall.
  • Katherine Uriarte, $3,000  – Katherine desires to be a biomedical scientist and develop treatment and cures. She will attend Columbia University in the fall.
  • Isabella Martinez, $1,500  – Isabella desires to become a pediatric surgeon and be the first in her family to attend college. She will attend Loyola University New Orleans in the fall.
  • Justin Fernandez, $1,500  – Justin a future college or high school coach, will major in kinesiology. He will attend CSULA in the fall.
  • Victoria Limón, $1,000 –  Victoria, a future surgeon who will attend SMCC in the fall.
  • Julian Alfonso López, $500+  – Julian ,a future medical doctor who will attend PCC in the fall.

2014 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

2014 Award Winners
  • Ryan Nakakura, $3,000  – Ryan will major in political science at UCI and plans have a career in government. 
  • Cuauhtemoc Garcia-Rodriguez, $3,000  – Cuauhtemoc will attend UCSB in the fall and desires to be a writer.
  • Adrian Suarez $2,000  –  Adrian will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall with plans to eventually become a neurologist.
  • Sophia Benavides, $1,000  – Sophia hopes to be an FBI agent and will attend USC in the fall.
  • Natalie Crespo, $1,000  – Natalie would like a career as an OBGYN and will attend UCSB in the fall.

2013 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

  • Marlene Figueroa
  • Tyler Armstrong
  • Sabrina Pierce
  • Cynthia Ream Garcia
  • Francisca Lujano

2012 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

  • Michael de la Torre
  • Justine Turrietta
  • Cristina Venegas

2011 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

  • Ingrid Roldan
  • Chloe Lloyd