The Mendocino College Foundation honored Scholarship Award recipients for the 2022-23 academic year at a mixer at the Ukiah Campus on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. For the first time since Spring 2019, the Foundation was able to host an in-person event with scholarship students and their families; donors; College faculty and staff; and members of both the College Board of Trustees and the Mendocino College Foundation (MCF) Board of Directors. The Foundation distributed 160 Scholarships totaling more than $204,500 to 114 students enrolled at Mendocino College for Fall 2022.
Some students, like Benard Heggenhougen, have been taking Dual Enrollment classes at their high school and have already jumpstarted their College education. Benard received the Jeff Banks ($2,500) and MCF Evelyn R. Foote ($1,500) scholarships and plans to study Computer Science at Mendocino College this fall.
Others, like Jessica Huckabay, are returning students, taking a new path offered through the Career Technical Education (CTE) Department. In Jessica’s case, the new Physical Therapy Assistance (PTA) program is offering a promising career in an in-demand field – as anyone who has tried to get an appointment for Physical Therapy knows. A massage therapist, Jessica became unemployed due to the pandemic and took the opportunity to reassess her career choices. Noting the excellent job prospects for PTAs, she took a leap and enrolled in the program. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do this, but I have felt so supported at every turn by Mendocino College,” she says. “I have a degree from UC Davis, and Mendocino College has surpassed even the level of support I had there. The counselors personally called me the day I found out I got into the program; the instructors are so skilled, and really preparing us not just to pass the exam, but to provide a high level of quality care,” she continues. “And to get the scholarship from the Foundation has been just another level of support that I am so thankful for.” Jessica was awarded the MCF Joan & Harry Bistrin Memorial Scholarship ($1,000).
Francisco Castaneda is a current Mendocino College student returning for the 2022-23 academic year, who plans to transfer to a four-year university in 2023 to pursue Civil Engineering. He received three awards: Kiwanis of Ukiah/Bob Brown Scholarship ($1,000); George Weger Scholarship ($1,000); and MCF Academic Excellence ($1,500).
Fourteen Nursing students were awarded scholarships, including Rebecca Morse, who received four distinct awards: MCF Coast Scholarship ($1,000); Chapter WQ PEO Sisterhood ($1,000); MCF Academic Excellence ($1,500); and the Fiona & Richard Perkins Scholarship ($1,000). A mom of two, she commutes from Mendocino to Ukiah to attend Nursing classes and clinical. She just finished her first year, and is looking forward to the Fall 2022 semester with extra support thanks to Mendocino College Foundation Scholarships.
Thank you to all of the donors that support students through scholarships at Mendocino College, including Staff, Faculty and Administrative groups, which collectively this year donated $9,000 towards 11 scholarships.
If you would like to learn more about how you can contribute to scholarships that support Mendocino College students, contact the Foundation Office at 707-467-1018 or visit foundation.mendocino.edu. Help us help them!
