San Juan Bautista Gav Student Awarded $20K UC Santa Cruz Pister Scholarship
by PIO on May 21, 2024GILROY, CA – Gavilan graduate, Cipriano Echezarreta, an environmental science major, whose career goal is to make a huge difference in the world in environmental policy, and who will be transferring to UC Santa Cruz in the Fall, has been awarded that institution’s prestigious Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Scholarship for 2024!
The Pister Scholarship was established in 1993 by former UCSC chancellor Karl S. Pister to increase opportunities for talented community college students who want to transfer to UCSC. The scholarship recognizes students who have overcome adverse socioeconomic circumstances, who have a demonstrated commitment to assisting and improving the lives of others, and who might not otherwise be able to attend UCSC for financial reasons.
Candidates are nominated by the presidents of each of the 13 regional community colleges. The nominations are reviewed by the Leadership Opportunity Awards Review Committee, and one student from each college is selected to receive up to $20,000 in award money ($10,000 awarded for two years).
Cipriano thoughtfully shared his experience at Gav:
“My family is beyond excited for me to receive this scholarship! Less than two years ago, I was in a severe accident that had me in the ICU for months. I had to learn how to walk and speak all over again. I spent months in speech, occupational, and physical therapies learning to do the simple things I used to take for granted. After persevering I needed to get my college goals back on track and I decided to attend Gavilan College a year ago. Thanks to the STEM Center, especially math tutor, Aidan Diekmann and my Calculus classmate, Greg Demo, I was able to achieve a 4.0 last semester. I could have not done it without both of their help.”
Dr. Pedro Avila, Gavilan’s Superintendent/President, who nominated Cipriano stated:
“Cipriano’s story is one of overcoming tremendous physical challenges, beyond what most of us might never experience. I was impressed by his perseverance to succeed at Gav in such a short period, as well as his leadership outside of the college with the local environmental group, CHEER. For his years of environmental volunteerism with this organization, last month, Cipriano was recognized by Congresswoman, Zoe Lofgren, through a congressional award.”
