Alliance for Hispanic Advancement awards scholarships to Latino students

Jun. 9—The Alliance for Hispanic Advancement (AHA) held a reception honoring 24 scholarship recipients on Wednesday at Boyd Hall on the Feather River Academy campus in Yuba City.

The students were given awards based on their academic achievement and their involvement in community service and extracurricular activities.

AHA offers four different scholarships to eligible students including a $200 sponsor award, $500 awards for the AHA scholarship and artistic performance recognition, and the $1,000 David Gonzalez Scholarship.

Applications for each scholarship were distributed to all local high schools. AHA places a high standard for applicants to be involved in community service and help the Latino population, said scholarship Chair David Perez.

"The Alliance for Hispanic Advancement has a lot of projects, but this is probably our favorite," Perez said. "We work real hard to raise money so that we can support our local hispanic students so that they can continue their education and continue their dreams."

Perez asked attendants to hold a moment of silence for the victims of the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas, before introducing the ceremony's keynote speaker.

Jessica Martinez, immigration attorney with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation and former AHA scholarship recipient, gave a speech describing her upbringing as a child of Mexican immigrants and the work she has completed due to her experience with AHA. Martinez was inspired to become an immigration lawyer as a child when she witnessed the struggles her parents faced while fighting for their immigration case. The financial help she received from the AHA scholarship allowed her to pursue her goal of attending UC Berkeley.

"No one usually gets anywhere without the help or guidance from others, so take advantage of scholarships like this one that give you the financial help to pursue higher education," Martinez said to the recipients.

Martinez was presented with flowers and a certificate of appreciation after her speech.

AHA has been offering scholarships to eligible students since 1994, totalling nearly $150,000 in awards to Latino students.

The $200 sponsor award was funded by donations made by members of the California Rice Commission, AHA board members and Yuba City Councilmember Grace Espindola. Members of the California Rice Commission and the scholarship committee presented the awards to 12 students.

"We need to support and help our current community as well as our future," Espindola said.

Out of the 21 applicants for the $500 AHA scholarship, 10 students were awarded. Perez asked all AHA winners to personally thank their families who supported their academic achievements. Live Oak High School students Belen Ramirez and Monica Rodriguez tearfully thanked their parents and siblings for being with them during the ceremony.

AHA typically presents a $500 award for athletic recognition to one student. However, the award was altered this year to reflect the artistic achievements of Yuba College student Ulysses Chavez.

Chavez enrolled in Yuba College two years ago with little direction for his academic goals. He was ready to drop out of college entirely before he enrolled in an intro-to-acting class, Chavez said. He had been interested in theater at a young age, but did not pursue acting until he auditioned for a production of "She Kills Monsters." Chavez has since performed in a number of plays and was selected to perform the National Anthem at Yuba College's 2022 graduation ceremony.

Scholarship committee member Diego Escutia personally recommended Chavez for the award.

Chavez will transfer to UC Long Beach in the fall and continue to study theater.

The $1,000 David Gonzalez Scholarship was awarded to Yuba City High School student Francisco Ruiz Bernardino. He was not present at the ceremony due to a prior commitment, but Perez noted Bernardino's value for the community as the deciding factor for this scholarship.

"His desire to provide opportunities to underrepresented communities and hire people of differing backgrounds in the future is what makes him deserving of this award," Perez said.

In his closing remarks, Perez announced his retirement from the Yuba College academic counseling program where he has been working for over 25 years. He plans to stay involved in AHA and the scholarship committee, but may step down from his role as chair in the future. Perez congratulated the students a final time and asked that they remember and honor their communities in their future endeavors.