Cerritos College issues scholarships

NORWALK - The Cerritos College Foundation awarded two newly-established student scholarships at its board meeting on May 19.Joey Berumen, of Norwalk, received the $500 Dorothy Thompson Memorial Scholarship. Established in memory of former re-entry student Dorothy Thompson, the scholarship is awarded to an outstanding journalism student. Thompson returned to school at the age of 67 and was voted Homecoming Queen in 1987. Berumen discovered his love for journalism in eighth grade while taking a newspaper class as an elective. He was editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper and once he began attending Cerritos College, he became editor-in-chief of Talon Marks. He was recently hired at the Los Angeles Daily Journal and will transfer to a four-year university next year to pursue his bachelor and master degrees. His goal is to one day become a Los Angeles Times journalist and eventually return to the classroom as a journalism instructor. The $500 Elizabeth O'Donnell Hamman Memorial Scholarship was presented to Ana Garibay, of Downey. The scholarship was recently established in memory of Elizabeth O'Donnell Hamman, sister of Patrick O'Donnell, manager of information technology, and daughter of Dodie O'Donnell, former faculty senate clerk at Cerritos College. Hamman, who was a mathematics professor, found her calling while attending Cerritos College. The scholarships is awarded to outstanding female students who are interested in pursuing a career in math. Garibay has had a passion for math since mastering the multiplication table in third grade. After working one-on-one with a teacher's aide, she realized how easy math was for her and has loved it ever since. She has been an active member of the Math Club as well as the Teacher TRAC program on campus. She will transfer to Cal State Long Beach this fall and plans to become a high school math teacher. The Cerritos College Foundation also awarded four additional student scholarships on May 19. Wendy Solorio, of Paramount, received the $400 Albert Ostroff Scholarship. The scholarship was established by Francine De France, former instructional dean of humanities and social sciences, in memory of her father, Albert Ostroff. It is awarded to outstanding transfer-bound students. The $500 Broderick Commeford Scholarship was presented to Aaron Montes and Vanchakriya Sy. The scholarship was established by the late reading professor Dr. William Broderick and named in honor of Broderick and his father-in-law. The scholarship assists developmental students in their educational pursuits. The Alice Wang Scholarship, worth $500 each, was presented to Claudia Chavez, of Downey, Maria Santos, of Bellflower, and Kimberley Salazar, of Norwalk. The scholarship recognized a single mother majoring in child development. Students Jean Paul Nirere and Luis Ong were each presented the $500 Ray Haugh Scholarship. Established by the La Mirada Youth Foundation, the scholarship is awarded to La Mirada residents who attend Cerritos College and plan to enter the workforce upon completion of their occupational studies. Felipe Grimaldo received the Robert C. Hughlett Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. Grimaldo, of Whittier, is extremely active on campus and within the community. He served two years as student trustee and was instrumental in establishing the college's Veterans Resource Center. This year he also served as Associated Students of Cerritos College president and on the California Community College Trustee Board. He is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and has completed two combat deployments to Iraq. He is transferring to UC Davis this fall as a political science major with the ultimate goal of become a U.S. senator or congressman. The scholarship is worth $2,000.

********** Published: June 2, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 7