Turlock — (October 31, 2008) California State University, Stanislaus has honored 23 Mary Stuart Rogers Scholars who come from diverse backgrounds and have developed reputations for academic excellence and involvement in their communities.
Recipients of the 2008-09 scholarship awards were honored by John and June Rogers of the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation at an October 30 reception and dinner program on the CSU Stanislaus campus.
Many of their life’s stories are filled with motivation and inspiration.
- Lyn Lao of Stockton is one of 11 children of a Hmong refugee couple, the first in her family to earn a college degree. She plans to become a teacher.
- A native of Mexico who came to the United States six years ago, Efrain Muro-Arellano of Merced is preparing to become a certified public accountant.
- Helen Arguelles Gudino of Hughson, who dropped out of high school as a teenage mother more than a decade ago, has demonstrated a fervid determination as an outstanding scholar and recipient of 13 different scholarships. She is striving for her goal of teaching at the high school level.
- A mother of three children and two grandsons, Tracy Blackwood of Ceres is the first in her family to attend college and plans to teach.
- Ruth Reyes-Olguin of Turlock grew up in an immigrant family and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Nursing so she can work with the underprivileged of the Central Valley.
- Joseph Jennings of Modesto is a husband and father of three children who graduated with honors and aspires to teach children of diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Marilyn Kamp of Turlock spent two months teaching children in Mozambique, Africa, to prepare for her teaching career goal.
- Rebounding from an injury that ended his stone mason career, Jake Wheeler of Modesto has excelled as a college student and is close to starting his new profession as a teacher.
The Rogers Scholarships go to high-achieving upper-division undergraduate students and Teaching Credential program students at CSU Stanislaus. Since being founded in 1991 by the late Mary Stuart Rogers, the program has awarded more than $2.2 million in scholarships and specially engraved rings to more than 400 CSU Stanislaus students. Teaching Credential graduate students receive $3,500 scholarships and undergraduate recipients are awarded $3,000.
This year’s recipients include:
· Helen A. Arguelles Gudino of Hughson, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Tracy Blackwood of Ceres, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Hafsa Chaudhry of Livingston, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Leticia Cortes of Modesto, a Psychology and Spanish double major undergraduate student
· Korinna De La Rosa of Turlock, a Nursing major undergraduate student
· Martha Duran of Atwater, a Liberal Studies/Spanish major undergraduate student
· Joseph H. Jennings of Modesto, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Katy Joslin of Oakdale, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Marilyn Kamp of Turlock, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Lyn Lao of Stockton, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Jean’Ann Miller of Turlock, a Liberal Studies major undergraduate student
· Efrain Muro-Arellano of Merced, a Business Administration major undergraduate student
· Elicia Padlo of Turlock, an Accounting & Finance major undergraduate student
· Ruth Reyes-Olguin of Turlock, a Nursing major undergraduate student
· Teresa Rogers of Modesto, a Human Resources and Marketing major undergraduate student
· Mariana Sandoval of Ceres, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Steven Sather of Turlock, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Kellen Thompson of Turlock, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Tom Van Ruiten of Oakdale, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Loretta Kathleen Webb of Modesto, a Liberal Studies major undergraduate student
· Cari Ann Wernicke of Modesto, a Criminal Justice major undergraduate student
· Jake Wheeler of Modesto, a Teaching Credential graduate student
· Jocias Zamora of Atwater, a Teaching Credential graduate student
