Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara Celebrates Area Students at Awards Ceremonies

By The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara honored hundreds of area students at consecutive awards ceremonies last week. More than 650 people attended the Foundation’s  South County Scholarship Awards Ceremony on May 28 at the Courthouse Sunken Garden in Santa  Barbara, and more than 750 people attended its North County Scholarship Awards Ceremony on May  29 at the Santa Maria Fairpark Convention Center.

The annual events recognize new and returning  Scholarship Foundation recipients. Attendees at each ceremony included students, parents, educators,  and community leaders. 

Scholarship Foundation Board Chair Danna McGrew was a featured speaker at both events, along  with Matt Rowe on May 28 and Ernesto Paredes on May 29. Messrs. Rowe and Paredes are Santa  Barbara Foundation trustees. The Santa Barbara Foundation contributed more than $900,000 in  scholarship funds this year, and is one of the Scholarship Foundation’s largest partners. Scholarship  Foundation President and CEO Melinda Cabrera also addressed attendees at both ceremonies.  

This year, the Scholarship Foundation will award college and vocational scholarships totaling more  than $7.7 million to 2,125 students throughout the county. 

“Meeting our recipients and their families at these ceremonies is always an incredibly moving  experience. We are proud to celebrate this milestone with them, and we are exceedingly grateful for  the generous community support that enables us to award these scholarships,” said Ms. Cabrera. 

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college  scholarships, having cumulatively awarded in excess of $167 million to some 64,000 county students since its  founding in 1962. A nonprofit organization, the Scholarship Foundation also provides free financial aid advising services. For additional information, visit www.sbscholarship.org.