CVWCF Tuition Scholarship Recipients for 2024
Adrienne Ranansky
Adrienne’s parents are Czech immigrants and until the age of 5 she spoke Czech exclusively. She has a GPA of 3.79 from Carmel High School and has been extensively involved in community service with the Hitchcock Road Animal shelter, The Gold Coast Arabian Horse Association and most recently Horse Play Youth. She has been honored by her school repeatedly for Student of the Month as well as being helpful to others and being responsible. Adrienne has had to overcome numerous learning disabilities by learning to adapt and discover alternative approaches to support her learning. She will be going to Caly Poly SLO next year and intends to enter communications with an interest in entering the field of Human Resources, with an eye toward the Agricultural field or Health Management.
Azucena Salinas Martinez
Azucena (her name means Lily in Spanish), lives in Cachagua with her parents: Dad’s in construction and Mom’s a house cleaner who Azucena helps most Saturdays. She has a weighted GPA of 4.42 from Carmel High School, with a heavy course load including Chinese, and is graduating in 3 years. She has been extremely involved in her community in Cachagua through the YMCA and the summer camp. In 2022 and 2023 she won the prestigious Presidential Service Award for devoting time to her community. She will be going to Cal Poly SLO, where her sister also attends, and intends to major in business administration with a concentration in real estate finance. She would like to work in real estate development, potentially with her sister who is getting a degree in architectural engineering.
Lesslie Irridian Arrieta De La Rosa
Lesslie graduated from Carmel High School in 2019 with a 4.15 GPA and went on to UCSB, majoring in Cell and Development Biology graduating in. March 2023, receiving Dean’s Honors during her last quarter. She currently lives at home and is working as a medical assistant for a local dermatologist and also volunteering for the sports medicine program at the high school. As a first-generation college student, Lesslie struggled her first year with this big change in her life, but ultimately with support from her university and her family she found ways to manage school and ultimately succeed. She is very interested in helping to provide health-care to her local Latino community and has done extensive research into both Sonography and Physician Assistant programs, and is currently applying to both. There are very few accredited programs each with only a small number openings but she is hoping to enter a program at Fresno State.
Margaret Patricia Short
Margaret and her family have lived in the Tassajara area for generations. She comes from a large family of mostly older siblings, in particular, a sister with a major disability, and Margaret is a significant caretaker. She has a weighted GPA of 3.91 from Carmel High School. Margaret has demonstrated significant leadership in a number of clubs and organizations, many of them related to supporting women, and others in athletics. She has won the Presidential Service Award and also the Carl Cherry Poetry Award for a wonderful poem called “Maybe Fate”. Margaret plans to attend a special program her Freshman year through the University of New Haven called Verto Education which provides for a year abroad in London and in Italy. She is thinking about being a teacher and believes this international exposure will benefit her in the future.
Lilyana Marciano
Lilyana moved to Carmel Valley in 2015 as part of a military family and ended up here with just her Mom raising the family. She has a 3.23 weighted GPA from Carmel High School . Lilyana demonstrated significant leadership while learning a good deal about conflict resolution and collaboration through her experiences in High School negotiating between the Cheer Team she captained, the Dance Team and the school administration. Through this experience she has developed an appreciation for mentoring and teaching, and she currently interns in a 3rd Grade class at River School. Outside of school she has spent considerable time with a local charity serving women experiencing homelessness. Lilyana has been accepted at Oklahoma State University where she intends to pursue a degree in education. She is looking forward to being near her older sister and other nearby family members.
Cassidy Bullas
Cassidy was a recipient of a CVWCF Scholarship in 2023. She has attended UCSB this past year very successfully and is still considering a career of some sort in women’s healthcare. While pursuing a pre-med degree she has expanded her interests to other areas, including continuing her interest in dance. This summer she will be in Costa Rica for two weeks for a sea turtle conservation program.
Sophia Bone
Sophia Bone was a recipient of a CVWCF Scholarship in 2023. She has attended UCSB this past year very successfully and while pursuing her degree in Communications is considering a future as a lawyer. She has been active in her sorority, and through it involved in charitable endeavors. She has also been active in a club where she serves as a mentor.