Oceanside Rising Star Students Receive Scholarships: PHOTOS

OCEANSIDE, CA — The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce hosted the final Rising Star student recognition program for the 2021/2022 school year at the William A. Wagner Aquatic Center earlier this week.

The Oceanside Chamber's Rising Star Program aims to champion students that have overcome significant challenges in their life but have managed to keep or get back on track, with their education. Over the last six months, the Chamber honored one high school senior from each of our area high schools at a monthly breakfast event. Half of this school year’s Rising Stars received at least $1,000 in higher education scholarships provided by Oceanside Chamber of Commerce members Genentech and Tri-City Medical Center.

Speakers at this culminating event included Scott Ashton, CEO, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce; Congressman Mike Levin; Mayor Esther Sanchez; OUSD Superintendent Dr. Julie Vitale.

Presenting the scholarships were Jessica Shrader from Tri-City Medical Center and Nazeli Dertsakian from Genentech.

The list of students that received scholarships included:

El Camino High School: Angela Hernandez Lira, Ariyan Perdue, and Nhi Ngo

Oceanside High School: Daniel Cruz, Dianne Ibarra, Julissa Beltran, and Sabrya Mosely

Surfside Educational Academy: Zitlali Valverde Gomez, Angel Gomez Galvan, and Jasmine Perez

Pacific View Charter School: Jonathan Dolores

“This is our final Rising Star program of the school year, and what a year it has been! With support from our members of the business community, we have been able to collaborate with our wonderful education community to recognize twenty-one amazing high school seniors from our city’s five high school programs. We have cried with them, laughed with them, and been inspired by them. Their stories are ones of resilience, something their peers and all of us can appreciate during this unique time in which we are living.” — Scott Ashton, CEO of Oceanside Chamber of Commerce

“We are grateful that the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce created the Rising Star Program to highlight and honor OUSD students. Recognizing scholars who have overcome challenges inspires their peers to never give up. I thank them for sharing their stories and for being role models to us all.” — Julie A. Vitale, Ph.D., Superintendent of OUSD

“These Rising Star students have overcome incredible adversity to excel in their studies and contribute to our Oceanside community, and I am very proud of all that they have accomplished. Thank you to everyone with the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and the OUSD for supporting these impressive young people.” — Congressman Mike Levin (D-CA)

Sponsors of the Rising Star program include Genentech, Tri-City Medical Center, Frontwave, Wells Fargo, SDG&E, North County Roastery, One Kitchen Collaborative and the Joe and Mary Mottino Family YMCA.

View more photos from the Oceanside Chamber's Rising Star Program for May 2022