Celebrating its 30th year, Dr. Carreón Foundation (DCF) has awarded scholarships to area high school seniors and in-College students. A total of $136,000 will be provided to 74 students, a record number. The Foundation supports the Valley’s youth by assisting them in pursuing a higher education and/or vocational training. Each year there has been an increase in the number of scholarship awards. In 2020, 63 students received scholarships.
Students with Mexican ancestry from high schools in the Coachella Valley and Blythe were invited to submit applications. Scholarships are awarded to students who have at least a 3.0 GPA, are involved in bettering their community, are of Mexican ancestry, and who demonstrate leadership skills and financial need. Every year, over 300 students apply.
Having awarded more than $1.8 million in scholarships since 1991, to over 800 students, recipients have attended schools locally and across the country including College of the Desert, Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus, the University of Southern California, UCLA, MIT and Harvard University, to name a few. This year individual scholarships ranged from $1,000 to $3,000. DCF Executive Director Ricardo Loretta states: “We are fortunate that the Coachella Valley community supports youth and especially education. In recent years, our partners have supported us with financial contributions which have allowed us to both expand our scholarship award offerings and increase the foundation’s corpus. We are now more than 2 times bigger than we were five years ago. The future is truly very bright!”
OneFuture Coachella Valley (OFCV )is a significant partner supporting the Dr. Carreón Foundation scholarship program. OFCV supports the development of career-themed academies and linked learning pathways at the K-12 level, work-based learning for middle school through college undergrads, and scholarships and financial aid assistance to prepare all students for college, career and life. Working in collaboration with the foundation to raise money for the scholarship program, every dollar donated to DCF is matched by OFCV to become three dollars.
Dr. Carreón Foundation is located at 41550 Eclectic Street in Palm Desert, and can be reached at (858) 344-4812. Visit www.carreonfoundation.org for additional information.
About Dr. Carreón Foundation
The late Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreón established the Reynaldo J. Carreón M. D. Foundation prior to his death in 1991, to enable Americans of Mexican ancestry to become the best they can through education. The Dr. Carreón Foundation Board of Directors has dedicated its efforts and resources to carry out Dr. Carreon’s vision. Dr. Carreón’s wish to help his people “be the greatest Americans possible” is being accomplished. Carreón scholars have attended some 50 colleges and universities throughout the United States.
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