Guerra awards scholarship to El Rancho High School graduate
Photo by Alex Dominguez
DOWNEY -- Current Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) and former mayor Mario Guerra recently awarded an over $180,000 scholarship plus stipends and books to a Pico Rivera student.
Recent El Rancho High School graduate Hermes Marin received a Minuteman Scholarship from Guerra and will attend California Baptist University.
“One of the reasons we’re so proud of this young man is because of the emphasis that the military, especially the United States Army places on education,” said Guerra. “It’s a path to the future leaders of our Army, and this a pretty exceptional way to do it.”
Minuteman Scholarships cover four years of full tuition and fees or $10,000 for room and board at colleges and universities served by an Army ROTC program.
Scholarship recipients also receive a monthly stipend of $300 to $500, and a yearly book allowance of $1,200. In addition, Minuteman Scholarship recipients participate in the Simultaneous Membership Program, which gives them experience with an Army Reserve unit while earning additional money for their service.
The son of immigrant parents, Marin earned a 3.2 GPA and played several sports, including earning a letter in wrestling. He also practices a handful of martial arts, including Muy Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and boxing.
Marin says that he always wanted to do “some kind of special forces or something like that.”
“My senior year, I needed a way to help me with college and the military was always on the back of my mind,” said Marin. “I wanted to get better at my abilities, serve my country.”
Ironically, Marin’s alma mater recently made headlines after former history teacher and Pico Rivera Councilman Gregory Salcido was recorded making disparaging comments about members of the armed forces, calling them the “lowest of our low.” Salcido was later fired, and currently faces an attempted recall campaign against him.
Marin says though that the controversy acted as more fuel.
“I’m going to be changing the perception. A lot of people start putting out a lot of hate at my high school, saying that we’re unpatriotic,” said Marin. “Through me and through so many other kids who joined from my school, it shows that we’re patriotic, it’s showing that the army will help you through your education.”
Marin hasn’t exactly decided what he will study yet, although computer science, nursing, and biomedical engineering have all been considered. He plans to join the reserves while he gets his degree and foresees a long career in the Army.