Press Releases: Southern California
May 17, 2012
Kaiser Permanente Awards Scholarships to 18 San Gabriel Valley High School Students who have Overcome Adversity
BALDWIN PARK, Calif. — Eighteen inspiring California teens from the East San Gabriel Valley are being recognized today for their academic achievements. Kaiser Permanente’s Jean Marie Carpenter Memorial Award will be given to these high school students based on their commitment to education despite adversity and personal hardships.
Jennifer Juarez, age 18, began her high school career being considered a top student, role model and future leader. With the loss of her mother to a brain aneurism in January 2012, Jennifer has taken on numerous responsibilities in addition to her academic ones. Every day, she now goes home to be a homemaker, a support system to her father, and most importantly, a teenage mother. Jennifer will be graduating from El Monte High School this June and plans on attending University of California at Irvine with the assistance of the Jean Marie Carpenter Memorial Recognition Award.
Jennifer credits her mother for her resolve to attend college. “Had it not been for my mother, who showed me that with determination and perseverance one can accomplish anything, I would not have applied to college,” she said.
“The Jean Marie Carpenter Memorial Award provides financial support to students who have demonstrated a commitment and drive to furthering their education despite the hardships that they have had to endure,” said Diana Rivera-Beltran, manager of the Kaiser Permanente Educational Outreach Program. “This award will remind these students that we believe in them. They can achieve all of their dreams by staying focused on their goals. We hope that this scholarship gives them the encouragement they need to succeed.”
The $1,000 Jean Marie Carpenter Memorial Award from Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Outreach Program in Baldwin Park will be given to students on Thursday, May 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Baldwin Park Art and Recreation Center, located at 14403-b East Pacific Ave., Baldwin Park, Calif. 91706. The keynote speaker will be South El Monte High School’s Assistant Principal of Instruction Gabriel Flores.
The 2012 Jean Marie Carpenter Memorial Award recipients are:
Jasmin Amador, Arroyo High School; Jennifer Araiza, Bassett High School; Sandra Batres, Nogales High School; Miguel Cuevas, Azusa High School; Oanh Dinh, Mountain View High School; Savannah Gomez, Fernando Ledesma High School; Eric Harrington, Northview High School; Jorge Ibarra, Gladstone High School; Jennifer Juarez, El Monte High School; Vanessa Macias, Covina High School; Marlene Mariscal, Coronado High School; Jose Martinez, Fairvalley High School; Miriam Moreno, North Park High School; Osvaldo Muro, South El Monte High School; Julia Preciado, Baldwin Park High School; Geovanna Rios, La Puente High School; Lauren Solis, Sierra Vista High School; Ivan Valle, Bassett High School.
Editor’s Note: Please click here to learn more about each recipient.
About Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Outreach Program
Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Outreach Program provides academic counseling, leadership opportunities, and services to primarily Latino and low-income youth in the San Gabriel Valley. It is one of the many community benefit programs and services funded by Kaiser Permanente to improve the health of the community in which it serves.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 3.5 million members in Southern California. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at kp.org.
