BNSF Railway Foundation awards scholarships to High Desert graduates

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·3 min read
Four high school graduates from the High Desert/San Bernardino County were among 48 nationally who were awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the BNSF Railway Foundation, renewable annually for up to four years.
Four high school graduates from the High Desert/San Bernardino County were among 48 nationally who were awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the BNSF Railway Foundation, renewable annually for up to four years.

All aboard the college scholarship train.

Four high school graduates from the High Desert/San Bernardino County were among 48 nationally who were awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the BNSF Railway Foundation, renewable annually for up to four years.

The local 2023 scholarship recipients include Kaylee Davis from Victorville, Riley Schnittger of Helendale, and Needle residents Teagan Jones and Angelina Pletcher. The four winners were the only ones from Calfornia.

The winning graduates, dependents of BNSF employees or retirees, received the scholarships in recognition of their outstanding high school academic achievements, the foundation said.

The foundation supports nonprofits throughout the country to help make the communities even better where BNSF employees and their families live, work and play, said Zak Andersen, president of the BNSF Railway Foundation.

“We’re proud of all the programs we help fund, but we’re particularly pleased to support our employees’ families as they get ready for college this fall and pursue higher learning opportunities,” Andersen said.

This year, more than $538,000 in scholarships from the foundation went to college-bound students through several programs, in addition to the fund dedicated to employees and retirees’ dependents.

Scholarships support comes through the National Future Farmers of America, National Merit Scholarships, and UNCF.

International Scholarship and Tuition Services manages the scholarship program for the BNSF Railway Foundation, including the establishment of criteria and decisions on scholarship recipients.

BNSF and the High Desert

In 1885, the first train of the Southern California Railway, a Santa Fe subsidiary, passed through the Cajon Pass on its way from San Bernardino, through the Victor Valley and toward Barstow, the Daily Press reported.

The introduction of the railroad changed the economy, culture, and population of the Victor Valley. The building boom was on, with towns springing up along the railroad line where only grazing land stood before.

To honor Jacob Nash Victor, a construction superintendent of the Santa Fe through the Cajon Pass, the name Victor was given to the railroad's telegraph station.

This railroad activity started a small community, which included a couple of stores, a blacksmith shop, and two saloons east of the tracks.

In 1901, the post office changed the name to Victorville, claiming there was confusion with Victor, Colorado. The city had become the largest community and trading center in the valley, benefiting from increased railroad and road travel, mining, and agriculture.

In 1996, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway merged into Burlington Northern Railroad, and BN was renamed Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway. The name was shortened to BNSF Railway Company in 2005, according to Trains Magazine.

In 2022, BNSF Railway Co. announced plans to invest more than $1.5 billion in a new Barstow facility that expands its role as an economic anchor in the High Desert and transforms the way global cargo moves across the U.S. from Southern California ports.

The private railroad giant owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. announced its plans for a "Barstow International Gateway" driven by "clean-energy powered cargo-handling equipment" at an all-day event Saturday meant to celebrate Barstow's 75th year as an incorporated city.

BNSF

BNSF Railway is one of North America’s leading freight transportation companies. It also operates approximately 32,500 route miles of track in 28 states and three Canadian provinces.

BNSF is one of the top transporters of consumer goods, grain and agricultural products, low-sulfur coal, and industrial goods such as petroleum, chemicals, housing materials, food, and beverages.

To learn more about the BNSF Railway Foundation, visit bnsffoundation.org.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: BNSF Railway Foundation awards scholarships to High Desert graduates