Cerritos College Foundation

Photo of Kim Westby, Bianca Sotelo, Robert Partida, Yvone Onopa, Tina Marraccini and TuongVi Bui (from left to right) NORWALK, Calif. - January 23, 2009 – The Cerritos College Foundation awarded two scholarships to Cerritos College students at its board meeting on Thursday, January 15.

June Chang, of Lakewood, received the $300 Pat Pinder Scholarship. Chang, who came to the U.S. from Korea 25 years ago is the mother of five and a full time student. She is pursuing a degree in early childhood development and has maintained a GPA of 4.0.

Established in 1999 in memory of Pat Pinder, a long-time faculty member in the Health Occupations Division, the $300 scholarship is awarded to a Health Occupations major who demonstrates outstanding academics.

The Foundation also presented the Philip Rodriguez Scholarship to eleven students. The $100 scholarship was established by colleagues of Rodriguez, former dean of Student Support Services. This scholarship is awarded to students who have demonstrated a solid writing foundation. The scholarships were presented by Kim Westby, current dean of Student Support Services to Andrea Bagby, of Bellflower; TuongVi Bui, of Midway; Angelica Gomez, of Santa Fe Springs; Lonna Hughes, of Downey; Tina Marraccini, of Long Beach; Yvonne Onopa, of Pico Rivera; Robert Partida, of South Gate; Harsh Shah, of Bellflower; Shannon Smith, of Lakewood; Bianca Sotelo, of Long Beach and Kaycee Villarreal, of Downey.

The Cerritos College Foundation, a non-profit organization, serves as a charitable vehicle for the community, individuals and alumni, to assist with financial support of Cerritos College beyond that which state funding supports. Visit the Foundation online at www.cerritos.edu/ccf.

Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college’s district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently averages nearly 24,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at http://www.cerritos.edu/.

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