Three Santa Fe High School seniors are one step closer to attending their dream universities after being named 2019 Dell Scholars by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, an honor that comes with a $20,000 scholarship.
The recipients, Jazmyn Gonzales, Armando Elias and Nicole Lopez-Urrutia, are members of the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) college-readiness program, designed to help students develop skills they will need to be successful in college.
Lopez-Urrutia has a 3.84 GPA and plans to major in environment science at UC Santa Cruz.
“AVID definitely helped to motivate me to keep up with my studies and explore my options,” Lopez-Urrutia said. “AVID also helped me to be financially literate, so that I could make better decisions about my future in higher education.”
Elias has a 3.93 GPA and plans to major in aerospace engineering at Cal State Long Beach.
“Being named a Dell Scholar means that I won’t be alone and my family and I won’t have to struggle so much to pay for school,” Elias said. “AVID showed me how to apply to college, how to receive financial aid and really kept on me about my grades.”
Gonzales has a 3.5 GPA and plans for a major in computer science, but is still deciding what college to attend.
“As a first-generation college student, AVID supported me and paved the way for me to pursue college,” Gonzales said. “The scholarship gives me more opportunities academically and the ability to go full time.”
As Dell Scholars, the Santa Fe students will receive their scholarships over four years, a laptop and textbook credits. They will also receive access to a support network of students, peer mentors and Dell staff, with services including confidential counseling, financial aid coaching and work-life solutions.