BASIC Scholarships
BASIC Salutes Its Graduates
BASIC has published a series in the Borrego Sun recognizing scholars who have completed vocational programs, community college, four-year degrees and graduate study. These are some of them.
Who Our Scholars Are
A typical BASIC scholar comes from a family of five or more, in a household whose annual income California classifies as severely disadvantaged, and started kindergarten speaking only Spanish.
Nothing about the list above makes a student less capable. It makes the first year of school harder to pay for, and that is the part BASIC can do something about.
In Nursing, Aviation, Medicine, Business and Engineering
More graduate photographs, and their own accounts of what the scholarship meant to them, are being added here.
UC San Diego, summa cum laude
Karen Garcia
Going to college is never easy for anyone. It’s especially hard for those who have financial constraints to worry about. BASIC eased a lot of those worries for me, and for all my other former classmates who also were fortunate enough to receive their scholarships.
Karen Garcia, UC San Diego
“Thanks to them, not only are a lot of us able to go to college, but we can go without having to work a crazy amount of hours to avoid as much debt as possible.”
“BASIC has always been so supportive in whatever path we chose to take. Unlike many other scholarships, they allow us to pursue educational opportunities at all levels.”
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, manufacturing engineering
Lorenzo Vilches
Lorenzo earned an automotive certificate at CSU San Marcos, then transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — the first BASIC scholar to move from a two-year program to a four-year degree. He graduated in manufacturing engineering.
- He received BASIC’s first academic excellence scholarship, for a straight-A record.
- He was the first BASIC scholar to transfer from a two-year to a four-year school.
- BASIC has mentored him ever since he left high school — writing letters of recommendation for other scholarships and for his transfer, and staying in touch throughout. More than ten years of it.
A photograph of Lorenzo will be added here when the committee sends one.
Thank You
Every one of these graduates was paid for by someone in Borrego Springs. The Scholarship Committee and BASIC’s Board thank you.