The Pedrozzi Foundation recently awarded $445,000 in scholarships to 118 local students, 26% of whom are in the first generation of family members to attend college. These scholars will be attending community college, undergraduate, graduate, and vocational schools.
The newest Pedrozzi Scholars, along with family and friends, were excited to gather at the Bankhead Theater in downtown Livermore for the Foundation’s annual recognition event. Recipients shared their educational plans, soaked in congratulatory cheers, posed for photos, and left with recognition items, including yard signs to display their pride in becoming Pedrozzi Scholars.
Also celebrated were the 13 newest Pedrozzi Young Scholars, selected for being model students with strong academic accomplishments. The Pedrozzi Young Scholar Program promotes equity in opportunity for high achieving students from Marylin Avenue Elementary School by providing support throughout their middle and high school years. A goal is that these youngest scholars will join their peers as Pedrozzi scholarship recipients in 2030, just as the first cohort did this year.
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Foundation staff and volunteers journeyed with the inaugural group of Pedrozzi Young Scholars for seven years, and all the students were accepted at colleges throughout California. They are also proud to join the growing rank of Pedrozzi Scholars. Since 2008, the Pedrozzi Foundation has awarded $6.1 million to nearly 1,675 Livermore students.
Granada High School senior Jason Cruz shared, “I look forward to starting my college career as a Pedrozzi Scholar and will work to live by the values that the foundation embodies. Knowing that others saw potential in my ability to tackle my future endeavors successfully and were willing to invest in it, gives me confidence going into a heavy STEM coursework load.”
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While most funding for Pedrozzi Scholarships comes from an endowment established by Livermore businessman Mario Pedrozzi, an increasing number of residents also fund scholarships, often to honor peers, family members, and friends. This year, 18 scholarships are funded by donors.
Jay and Mary Davis were the first to fund additional scholarships at the Foundation. This year’s George Kerr Scholarship recipient is, appropriately, Lauren Higgins. George Kerr, a former Livermore elementary school teacher, made such a positive impact on the Davis’ son Rob, that the family chose to honor him through this scholarship. Following in her grandmother’s and Kerr’s footsteps, Lauren plans to teach elementary school. She says, “I love learning from and working with kids; it brings me joy. I had amazing teachers in the Livermore School District, so experienced the impact of good teaching. By teaching, I can provide opportunities to future generations, like Mr. Pedrozzi has.”
The Kim Cupps Memorial STEM Scholarship was endowed in honor of Cupps’ long career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The 2023 recipients are Asmitha Aluri and Angelina Guzman, who both aspire to help others through their future careers and as mentors, Aluri as a computer scientist and Guzman as a chemical engineer and physician. Gina Bonanno, Cupps’ wife, shares, “As a former Pedrozzi board member I heard first-hand that Pedrozzi scholarships do more than lessen the financial burden of higher education; they create a supportive community – the type of community that Kim valued and fostered.”
Annika Armstrong reignited and led the Livermore High School robotics team to a top finish in this year’s competition and along the way deepened her passion for designing and building machines. Armstrong, the eighth recipient of the John W. Houghton, Jr. STEM Scholarship, funded by Houghton, will be studying mechanical engineering at Cal Poly SLO with the long-term goal of building machines that will solve problems in society and improve the lives of others.
The Taylor Family Foundation funded three scholarships for first-generation community college students Betsy De La O, Britney Hernandez, and Rebecca Sermeno. Like their fellow Pedrozzi Scholars, all plan to make positive contributions to society. Valuing all postsecondary pursuits, The Taylor Family Foundation will also fund scholarships for students pursuing vocational training certifications or degrees. Pedrozzi Career-Vocational Scholarships are unique in that applications are accepted year-round and are available on the organization’s website, along with complete list of donor-funded scholarships.
From the Bankhead Theater stage, Molly LaPerle spoke for herself and her fellow 2023 Pedrozzi Scholars, “A college education will help me fulfill my dream of doing what I love while helping others.”
Visit Pedrozzi.org to learn more.
2023 Pedrozzi Young Scholars: Zakarya Ahmad, Josgar Alvarez, Keven Beltran, Jade Davalos, María De La Paz Chávez, Ania García, Adalia Godínez, Kaelen Haselbach, Yaretzi Moctezuma, Brandon Molina, Keila Nieto Buitrón, Chloe Rosado, Natalie Solís
2023 Pedrozzi Scholars: Jonah Abigana, Lauren Allen, Asmitha Aluri, Anusha Aluri, Sara Amplement, Annika Armstrong, Richard Beeler, Hayden Borg, Katelyn Cainey, Avery Casselman, Dorothee Catipon, Gonzalo Ceballos, Edith Cibrian, Kristel Cornes, Aleksandr Cortes, Jason Cruz, Betsy De La O, Allison DeGuzman, Tanisha Deka, Nitti Dungwatanawanich, Lillian Engelsgjerd, Saray Espinoza, Pauline Evangelista, Molly Faria, Clara Faria, Yoav Feigenbaum, Audrey Fick-Furlotte, Owen Fidler, Emily Gnecco, Ryan Gomez, Kevin Grant, Summer Gryszowka, Valeria Gutierrez, Mariana Gutierrez, Cesar Gutierrez, Angelina Guzman, Yasmeen Haider, Alexa Hart, Karina Hernandez, Britney Hernandez, Kelsey Hertz, Lauren Higgins, Rachel Huff, Jasmine Jaura, Hyewon Jo, Zoe Johnson, Savanna Johnson, Drew Kardy, Amreen Kaur, Ryan Kennedy, Beckett Kohn, Wyatt Krauss, Daniel Lai, Ashley Lamb, Molly LaPerle, Lourdes Magana, Jacob Mall, Richard Mallon, Clara Markel, Anthony Martinez, Riley Maryman, Keira Matthews, Malia Mau, Natalie May, Leanna May, Sofie McMichael, Shemole Medeiros, Stefanie Medina, Jordan Meier, Gillian Mena Meredith, Michael Mussari, Caylie Natsch, Erin Nishikubo, Aleksander O'Connor, Amanda Ong, Aarush Panda, Trish Pedeglorio, Anabella Pedretti, Tanvi Penugonda, Diana Pinzon, Kathryn Piscotty, Christian Quindipan, Isabella Quintana, Michael Rasmussen, Omri Ratzkoff, Melanie Reed, Aidan Reilly, Hector Rios, Maliyah Rivera, Sarah Robinson, Alexis Rosenberg, Sophia Roshan, Alizabeth Ruiz, David Sadkowski, Amira Sain, Shunsuke Sakagami, Harshitha Sarathy, Rebecca Sermeno, Bhhavya Sharma, Ajaib Sidhu, Julia Siraponian, Samantha Smith, Marina Stiger, Kailyn Stow, Owen Summers, Sarah Sun, Anna Tang, Angela Traugott, Chivi Van-Dinh, Ashlyn Voisin, Molly Walker, Mackenzie Wherry, Lara Wiedemeier, Emma Wiedemeier, Claire Wiedenfeld, Elias Worley, Maxwell Young, Ian Zolynas
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ABOUT THE PEDROZZI FOUNDATION
The Pedrozzi Foundation invests in Livermore students. We award scholarships for college and career training and support programs which help students be prepared for their educational journeys after high school. We believe all students deserve the chance to pursue their educational and career goals; the lack of finances or information should not be a barrier. Every day we create an impact by helping our students achieve their dreams. The Foundation was established by Mario Pedrozzi, a Livermore businessman, who left his estate as a gift to the community. Others are continuing Mr. Pedrozzi’s legacy by generously donating to this unique and high-impact organization. Learn more at Pedrozzi.org.
