Meet a Few Scholarship Recipients

MARGARITA OROZCO

The Union Bank Hispanic Chancellor’s Scholarship has made an invaluable contribution to my education, my future and my family. It has allowed me to use the tools of a college education to improve the community. Under the Political Science: American Politics major at UC San Diego, I am learning of an institution that affects our communities’ lives. To get hands on experience and observe in one of our local government institutions, I volunteer three times a week at the San Diego Juvenile Court. As a single student-parent to a beautiful boy, Roberto, financial assistance is crucial to the completion of my undergraduate education. This scholarship has allowed me to pursue my education with Roberto at my side, but has also allowed me to be an example to prospective students about the power of perseverance in achieving your goals. Thank you for your continued support of future leaders of the next generation.

JOSEPH OCAMPO

I have lived in San Diego since I was born and for most of my life with my grandmother and late grandfather. Since I was young, I’ve been a dreamer, and for that, I thank my grandparents who sheltered me from the drugs and other darker realities of my family’s life that could have otherwise squelched my young curiosity and optimism or otherwise led me astray. I was also blessed with caring teachers in my elementary school years that pushed me to realize my full potential. I am an alum of The Preuss School UCSD; the experience, faculty and teacher’s there were just as integral in motivating me to continue growing. It was at Preuss I realized my path is directing me toward a career in some form of service. I’m currently majoring in Psychology and though I don’t know the exact form my future will take yet, I know I have many years ahead of me and the tools from all those that supported me to be successful.

RACHEL TORRES

People always told me how prestigious UCSD is, so I knew it would be the perfect place for me to continue my studies. By coming here I could show my little brother and sister that they can accomplish anything in life. My major is Literature, and I am hoping to minor in either psychology or dance. In the future, I would love to return to the high school that I attended and become an English teacher so I can show my students that just because they come from a small town doesn’t mean that they can’t go on to do amazing things in life. I am so grateful for this scholarship because it is one of the main reasons that I am able to attend UCSD.

LUCIO CALDERON

Without financial assistance, my family would not have been able to bear the costs of college tuition, and I never would have been able to attend UCSD. As the first member of my family to attend college, it’s encouraging to know that organizations like the UCSD Hispanic Scholarship Council are continuing to work to improve educational opportunity for students like me. Thank you for providing scholarships to first-generation college students, for allowing us to pursue our college dreams, and for helping provide us with the opportunity to better our lives through higher education.

NICOLE GARCIA

Let me begin by saying thank you so much for helping me continue my education here at UC San Diego. I have decided to pursue a career in forensic pathology rather than viral research, which, given my interest in biology and the law enforcement background in my family, seemed like a natural decision. My plan for the near future is to apply for an internship or volunteer position in either the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office or the San Diego Crime Lab. While the biological sciences themselves still fascinate me, the application of science, particularly pathology, to criminal justice feels like a better fit for me and what I want to achieve in life. My goal is to be able to use my education and love for science to help those who cannot fight for justice themselves. In short, I would like to thank you for helping me pursue my education at UC San Diego without having to devote extra time and resources during the school year to finding ways to fund my education. I would also like to say thank you very, very much on behalf of my family, especially my grandmother, who worries about my education almost as much as I do, and my mother, who never ceases to light up as she tells anyone who is willing to listen how her daughter is learning this or that at the prestigious UC San Diego. Lastly, I would like to extend thanks on behalf of my fellow scholarship recipients to Union Bank and all scholarship donors for helping us create a better future through education.

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