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From Patch Napa Valley: 77 Students Awarded Napa Valley Community Foundation Scholarships

July 28, 2020 by Maggie Fusek

Nearly $250K in scholarships went to local students; some are military veterans, others are the first in their families to attend college.

NAPA VALLEY, CA — The Napa Valley Community Foundation has awarded $249,800 in scholarships to 77 local students.

Scholarship awards ranged from $250 to $8,000 per student for the next academic year, for an average scholarship amount of $2,290, the nonprofit association said in a news release.

Approximately 64 percent of this year’s scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college; 49 percent are enrolling at University of California campuses or private universities; 31 percent have enrolled in the California State University system; and 14 percent have enrolled in Napa Valley College.

“We are in a moment of great uncertainty for local students beginning their college careers,” said Julia DeNatale, vice president of Community Impact for Napa Valley Community Foundation. “As high school seniors, they graduated several weeks ago in drive-by ceremonies or Zoom commencements all around the Valley. Now, they are preparing for a first semester in college unlike any other in our recent history. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and determination, and confident that they will find a way to persevere and succeed —no matter what attending classes looks like this fall.”

Among this year’s scholarship recipients were:

—Local military veterans who are receiving financial support thanks to The George and Gwendolyn Goodin Scholarship Fund, a permanent endowment that was established at NVCF with a gift from the estate of George and Gwendolyn Goodin, longtime residents of Yountville;

— Recent graduates from local public high schools and Napa Valley College students, many of whom are the first in their family to pursue a four-year college education, courtesy of The Fruit of the Vine Scholarship Fund, which is renewable every year and was established by an anonymous Napa Valley winegrower; and

— NVCF’s newest scholarship fund, the Daisy Cavalli Scholarship Fund, which benefits graduating seniors who attend a Napa Valley Unified School District high school and will be enrolling in a trade/vocational school, community college, or four-year college/university, and provides funding for every year that the student is enrolled as a full-time student.

Scholarships were also awarded from the following funds:

— the Edward W. Solomon and the Judith B. Cutcomb Scholarship Funds for teachers throughout the Valley;

— the Ted Kohler Music Scholarship Fund for Calistoga students studying music; and,

— the Lenore Hirsch-Jay Falk Scholarship Fund for Napa County students who have worked hard to overcome academic challenges, and will attend a two- or four-year college program in general education.

“We are particularly proud, this year, to help bridge the gap between talent and opportunities,” said NVCF President Terence Mulligan. “These students have shown tremendous resilience as they begin their post-secondary education, and our donors understand that scholarships often are the boost deserving students need to turn their goals into reality.”

More information about applying for or contributing to NVCF scholarships is posted on the organization’s website.

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