UC Oakland Partnership Initiative awards scholarships
August 18, 2014 •
UC President Janet Napolitano had lunch with UC Oakland Partnership Initiative scholarship winners, including (from left) Aranta Martinez-Moreno, Lizbeth Maldonado-Ramirez and Lena Chen.
Six Oakland high school students each received a $5,000 scholarship through a University of California initiative that aims to build a stronger partnership with the Oakland community.
Recipients of the UC Oakland Partnership Initiative scholarships all come from a high school in Oakland, will attend a UC campus this fall and qualify for the university’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which helps cover educational expenses, including systemwide tuition and fees, for California resident students who qualify for financial aid and whose total annual family income is less than $80,000.
A UC Office of the President scholarship review committee selected finalists largely based on their UC admissions applications and their community service, with every recipient reporting more than 600 hours of community service that benefitted Oakland.
Scholarship recipients were recognized on Aug. 14 at an awards luncheon at the UC Office of the President in Oakland.
“The UC Office of the President is eager to build a stronger bond with the City of Oakland, its residents and its businesses, and we are thrilled to support these promising, local students,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “The scholarship program is our contribution as members of the Oakland community and as a public research university system that serves California and its students.”
Scholarship recipients include:
- Lena Chen: Chen is a Skyline High School graduate who served as a member and president of her high school’s Key Club, a Kiwanis-sponsored service organization focused on helping local youth. She’s also volunteered with the Asian Health Services Youth Program and a program called Oakland Youth Empowering Advocates. She will be a first-generation college student when she attends UC Berkeley in the fall.
- Ojalique Genaeda-Frison: Genaeda-Frison is a McClymonds High School graduate who tutored underclassmen at her high school, volunteered with Culture Keepers (a mentoring program for elementary school children) and worked with Mickey’s Meals to distribute food to the needy. She will be a first-generation college student when she attends UC Merced in the fall.
- Dominic Hoang: Hoang is a graduate of the Oakland Military Institute, College Prep Academy, where he volunteered extensively with his school’s student leadership program, eventually holding the title of executive officer. He will attend UC Santa Cruz in the fall.
- Vicky Lam: Lam is an Oakland High School graduate who volunteered with the Asian Youth Services Committee, the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco, the Lake Merritt United Methodist Church Food Bank and Build On. She will be a first-generation college student when she attends UCLA in the fall.
- Lizbeth Maldonado-Ramirez: Maldonado-Ramirez is a Metwest High School graduate who educated middle school students on the school-to-prison pipeline, volunteered with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, and has been serving as an intern in Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s office. She will be a first-generation college student when she attends UC Berkeley in the fall.
- Aranta Martinez-Moreno: Martinez-Moreno is a Skyline High School graduate who volunteered with the Oakland Community Organization, the group Build On and the Chabot Space and Science Center. She will be a first-generation college student when she attends UC Berkeley in the fall.
The UC Oakland Partnership Initiative was designed to increase UCOP staff engagement with the Oakland community. Initiative projects include the annual scholarship fund and participation in community events like the Oakland Running Festival and local Earth Day cleanups.
