Schools

Scholarships Pave the Way for Murrieta Graduates

The Murrieta High Schools Scholarship Foundation awarded 428 scholarships to 271 graduating seniors Tuesday evening. A crowd of nearly 1,000 was in attendance.

Maya Gutierrez has known she wanted to be a lawyer since a very young age. At one time, she was deciding between being the president and a lawyer, her mother said.

While her aspirations of becoming president have waned, she did hold the office of ASB Senior Class president at Vista Murrieta High School this year. And with a little help from a benefactor, she will enter college in the fall as a pre-law student at Portland State University.

Gutierrez was one of 271 high school seniors from Vista Murrieta and Murrieta Valley who were awarded scholarships from the Murrieta High Schools' Scholarship Foundation. The students and their families attended a ceremony held in the Revival Christian Fellowship sanctuary Tuesday night, where they took the stage in front of administrators, teachers, friends and community donors.

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More than $161,000 in scholarships were awarded. Students were not told beforehand who the scholarships were from, just that their applications had been accepted and an invitation to the awards ceremony.

"I saw there was an opportunity for a scholarship, so I took it," Gutierrez said. "I really appreciated the donation. I never met them before tonight so I was really surprised."

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Gutierrez received her scholarship from the Wilson Family. Pamela Wilson is the human resources director for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. She has been involved with the nonprofit foundation for many years. Both her daughters graduated from Murrieta high schools and were the recipients of scholarships.

Her eldest, Nezi Wilson, came back Tuesday night to "pay it forward." Nezi graduated in 2005 from Murrieta Valley, and in 2010 from University of California, Riverside. She is now studying to enter law school. The family chose to award their scholarships to two students who also planned to study law.

"We have donated as a family since 2000," Pamela Wilson explained.

The "pay if forward" sentiment was shared by many of this year's 102 donors. Others gave out money in the name of a loved one who has passed on.

Steve and Melissa Ellis awarded a scholarship on behalf of their daughter, Carolyn "Carrie" Ellis, a 2003 graduate of Murrieta Valley who died in a Murrieta car accident in 2004.

Another was given out on behalf of Cody Legg, the son of Vista Murrieta assistant baseball coach, Dave Legg. Cody was a sergeant in the Army when he was killed in Iraq in 2008.

Alumni also took the stage, wanting to give back to students from their alma maters.

Yet others came from the business community. Southwest Healthcare gave out scholarships to students who will study pre-med. The Pechanga Tribe donated to nine high schools in Temecula, Murrieta and Lake Elsinore, for a total of $310,000 this year and $2.7 million since it began participating.

The Murrieta Police Officers Association and Murrieta Rotary Club were also among the more than 100 donors, which were too numerous to list.

Students received a minimum of $250 from one donor. Some students received multiple scholarships. The money will be forwarded to their colleges for them to use for books, tuition or whatever else they need.

Murrieta Valley High School senior Casey Withers received a total of $500 from two donors: the Murrieta Teachers Association and Murrieta Valley High School Guidance Counseling.

"Every little bit helps," Withers said. "I am excited about continuing my education."

Withers played basketball at Murrieta Valley High School, but will most likely be giving that up when he goes to Union University in Tennessee in the fall. He'll be entering an engineering program, and plans to at least get a master's degree.

"I am appreciative because they (the teachers) have impacted me," Withers said about being chosen as a recipient by the Murrieta Teachers Association. "It means a lot."

His parents are also a motivating factor behind his education plans. His mother, Laurie Withers, is a math teacher at Murrieta Valley, and has her master's degree. His father, Blake Withers, is the pastor of Las Brisas Bible Fellowship, and is finishing a doctor's degree in ministry.

Withers said he already has about two-thirds of his four-year tuition taken care of through a combination of scholarships.

This marks the 18th year the Murrieta High Schools' Scholarship Foundation has sent students off with a little extra help. Robin Crist, president of the foundation and a Murrieta Valley Unified School District Governing Board member, thanked 15 volunteers who work tirelessly on the effort.

"One of the ways students get motivated is knowing someone cares," Crist said to the soon-to-be graduates. "Some of you may already know where you are heading and others are still figuring it out, and that's OK. Either way, you know education is what you are going to need to get you there."

The foundation began in 1993, and gave out its first scholarships in 1994. Private-sector donors, anonymous donors, PTAs from throughout the district and district employees all had a hand in donating funds. District employees can have donations deducted from their paychecks.

One scholarship was given out in the name of Vista Murrieta's custodian, Ron Stoeger, who retired last year.

"He wanted it to go to someone who made a difference on campus," said Vista Murrieta Principal Darren Daniel.

Governing Board member Ken Dickson and his wife, Susan, said they have been donors for three years now, and give what they can. Both of their now-grown children were once scholarship recipients.

"This is a way for them to remember their roots, their community, as they move forward. It helps for these kids to know they have someone else rooting for them besides their parents, it gives them more accountability," Dickson said.

Crist encouraged the students to keep in contact with their donors and send thank you cards, which she said many past recipients have done.

Next year, Murrieta Mesa High School will add its students to the scholarship roster. Crist said, however, that next year less money will be given out. The foundation has been running on a surplus for the last few years from students who haven't collected on past scholarships. She expects that to run out next year, but said the giving will continue.

"If nothing else, it makes a difference in their confidence level," Crist said.


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