SoCalGas Awards Crafton Grad with $5,000 Scholarship
Publish Date: June 24, 2021
Recent Crafton Hills College grad Alexander Manjarrez has received a $5,000 boost from Southern California Gas Company.
Manjarrez is one of the 2021 scholarship recipients of Southern California Gas Company, which awards high school graduating seniors and transferring community college students with scholarships from $1,000 to $5,000.
To qualify, students must meet a list of criteria, including living within the SoCalGas service area, maintaining a GPA of at least a 3.0, and demonstrating strong community involvement.
“SoCalGas believes that a well-educated workforce makes good business sense and is essential for a vital and economically healthy Southern California,” stated Regional Affairs Manager Robert Visconti, who also serves on the College’s Foundation Board of Directors.
Manjarrez outlined his future educational and career plans and the need for the scholarship to continue his education. He explained the impact the pandemic had on his family and that his family’s income dropped by 25 percent. Manjarrez put his studies first, although doing so interfered with his ability to continue helping his father manage Rainbow Board and Care, an assisted living facility that was also impacted by COVID-19.
Manjarrez explained, “I stopped working with him so I could focus more on my studies. It will be tough for me to go back and help him run his business since I will be focusing on my upper division course work at the University of California, Riverside in fall 2021.”
Manjarrez is goal-oriented when it comes to mapping out a plan for his studies. His long- term goal is to earn a Master’s in computer science at UCR and work as a software developer while continuing to do research on tech-related topics. He also wants to work in a field where he can construct large software systems, something that drew him to his major.
“Research is something that has resonated with me ever since I enrolled at Crafton Hills College,” stated Manjarrez. “I conducted research on image blurs for DEKA,company that specializes in complex problem-solving, and I learned how to run algorithms on MATLAB and met the company’s expectations.”
“Research has taught me that being an effective researcher means being passionate, knowledgeable and prepared,” he continued.
Southern California Gas Company is focused on promoting STEM and Energy Education to improve and support educational opportunities and workforce development in their communities.To learn more about the company’s work, visit www. socalgas.com/our-community/promoting- education-workforce-development.
