Scholarships Awarded to Local Students

Scholarships Awarded to Local Students

Posted on May 3, 2016

Self-Help Enterprises is proud to award $6,000 in scholarship awards to seven local students in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement.

The Doris “Do” Dooley Scholarship, named after Self-Help Enterprises’ former Board member and dedicated friend of the organization, was established to help further the education of children whose families have participated in one of Self-Help Enterprises’ programs. This competitive academic scholarship is available to students who plan to enroll full-time in a vocational or trade school, community college or four-year university. The students were selected by Self-Help Enterprises’ Board of Directors based on academic merit and commitment to community service.

The $1,250 scholarship award recipients are:

• Sam Alonso (Wasco)  – Sam is a 2014 recipient of $1,000, and this year he was awarded $1,250 to continue his pre-med studies at UC Santa Barbara. He and his sisters were raised by their single mother who lives at the Almond Court Apartments in Wasco.
• Maria Gordillo Herrejon (Reedley) – Maria is the sister of two previous scholarship recipients whose parents built their own home in Reedley. She plans to attend Fresno State with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. She is involved in numerous clubs and activities and is ranked 8^th in her graduating class of 382 with a 3.9 GPA.

The $1,000 scholarship award recipients are:

• Leticia Mendoza Gonzalez (Parksdale) – Leticia lives with her parents and siblings in the Parksdale Village Apartments. Leticia has been accepted to UC Merced where she plans to become an anesthesiologist.
• Alexandria Smith (Wasco) – Alexandria Smith’s mother built her own home in Wasco. Alex returned to school after realizing she could earn a degree and work in child development, a field she loved. She is currently attending Brigham Young University in Idaho. She plans to teach after earning her bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Science Education.

The $500 scholarship award recipients are:

• Zuri Espinoza (Goshen) – Zuri and her family came to the US from Mexico and currently live in Goshen Village. Zuri is a great student and she was recently recognized as the Most Outstanding Student for English Language Development at El Diamante High School. She plans to attend COS in the fall on her way to becoming a dentist.
• Tru Flores (Goshen) – Tru lives with her mother at Goshen Village II. Through a difficult childhood, Tru discovered the healing power of art and plans to become an art therapist in order to help other young people. Her post-high school journey will begin at COS.
• Marisol Mendoza (Parksdale) – Marisol lives with her family in Parksdale and attends community college. Since her father has been ill, she has been working part-time to help support her family. She plans to eventually transfer to Fresno State to become an accountant.

The Doris “Do” Dooley Scholarship is possible because of the vision and generosity of many people including the Dooley family. Since 1997, Self-Help Enterprises has awarded 108 scholarships totaling $87,250 to deserving students.