Two Cañada Students Earn Chicana/Latina Foundation Scholarship
Tue, 13 August, 2013 at 7:28 am
Cañada College students Adriana
Fernandez and Rita Melgar have received the Chicana/Latina Foundation Scholarship.
The Chicana/Latina Foundation is based
in Burlingame. Each year, the organization awards merit-based, $1,500 scholarships.
This year, 31 deserving students received the one-year scholarships. All
recipients will attend a leadership retreat and be honored at a special
gala on Sept. 20.
Melgar graduated from high school in El Salvador and moved to the United States in 2007. She works as a math tutor in Cañada’s Learning Center. She credits Cañada Professor Po Tong for igniting her passion for math and teaching.
“He was my Math 120 teacher and he
recommended that I tutor math in the Learning Center,” she said. “He is the
reason I found my passion not just in math but also in teaching. He’s why I am
pursuing a double major.”
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| Adriana Fernandez |
“I heard about the scholarship last year
from Xochitl Rios, a Cañada graduate,” said Fernandez. “I applied and was
interviewed but didn’t receive a scholarship. I was disappointed in myself but
it motivated me to work harder.”
This year, Fernandez improved her GPA
and worked with Melissa Ibarra, a retention specialist in Cañada’s STEM Center,
on her interview skills. “The preparation made a big difference,” she said.
Melgar was encouraged to apply for the
scholarship by Ibarra and Cathy Lipe, director of the STEM Center. “I applied
and was selected to participate in the Cisco-MESA Mentorship Program last year so
they suggested I apply for this scholarship,” she said.
Melgar graduated from high school in El Salvador and moved to the United States in 2007. She works as a math tutor in Cañada’s Learning Center. She credits Cañada Professor Po Tong for igniting her passion for math and teaching.
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| Rita Melgar |
Fernandez has been involved in
undergraduate research at Cañada, analyzing nitrate levels in San Mateo County
farm fields. “It was really cool and interesting to see the levels of nitrates
in the soil and realize that our research was helping local farmers,” she said.
Fernandez plans to transfer to UC Davis
to study environmental science while Melgar will attend San Jose State and study
computer science and mathematics.
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