Four college-bound students from San Francisco’s Southeast communities will receive scholarships as part of the Maisin Scholar Award Program, sponsored by the SFPUC’s Social Impact Partners: Brown and Caldwell, Jacobs Engineering, Carollo Engineers, AECOM, and Avila Associates/Hazen and Sawyer Joint Venture.
Seniors Kimari Guillory from Abraham Lincoln High School, Karla Magallenes from Lowell High School, Bryan De Leon from Gateway Highschool, and Karrieem Mays from Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) will receive scholarships in the amount of $12,000 over four years for their college education. Scholarships are administered by the San Francisco Education Fund’s Maisin Scholars Award Program.
Guillory grew up in the projects in Visitation Valley and currently lives with her mother and sister in Sunnyvale public housing. She plans to pursue a degree in science and/or health from Tulane University in New Orleans with hopes of becoming a pediatric nurse. Guillory’s desire to become a pediatric nurse stems from her years of work with youth in her community. In addition to balancing school and work, she has spent a considerable amount of time working at her church, preparing lessons and curriculum for youth Sunday school, and organizing concerts and dance performances. She also organized panel discussions on issues that are important to her community, such as education and health and safety for kids and their parents. She hopes to continue giving back to her community by serving as a role model to young kids in her neighborhood.
Guillory will receive one of two STEM Scholarships for female students, which support female students pursuing a STEM career. AECOM, Water Resources Engineering, Inc., Avila Associates, and Hazen and Sawyer are sponsoring her scholarship.
Magallenes’s parents emigrated from Peru when she was just one years old and they settled in the Bayview district in San Francisco. Magallenes is interested in mental health issues from a multicultural perspective. She plans to major in Psychology, and is likely to attend the University of Miami. Her interest in mental health and social justice stems from her experience at Lowell High School. She has been very involved as a student leader at Lowell as a club member and officer in La Raza and the Black Student Union (BSU). These clubs provided her with a sense of family and a support system for students who, like her, will be the first in their families to attend college. She hopes to continue her personal self-growth and get involved in clubs in college.
Magallanes will receive the Dr. Espanola Jackson Scholarship, which was created to honor Dr. Jackson, a long-time civil rights and community advocate from Bayview-Hunters Point. Carollo is sponsoring this scholarship.
De Leon was born in Guatemala and lives with his parents and siblings in the Bayview district in San Francisco. De Leon hopes to learn more about the STEM field and plans to earn a degree in Computer Science or Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a first-generation college student, he doesn’t take things for granted, and works hard to gain the most from his learning environment. During high school, he found support by participating in College Track, Japantown Youth Leaders, and MissionBit’s programs. As a result, De Leon feels more prepared to overcome challenges in college, understands the importance of community service, and is prepared to give back to his community.
De Leon will receive the STEM Scholarship, which supports students pursing a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) career. Carollo is sponsoring this scholarship.
Mays will be attending Clark Atlanta University in the Fall. He grew up in the Sunnydale projects in Visitation Valley. Mays pursued his dreams of attending SOTA and being the first in his family to go to college. While at SOTA, Mays worked hard to improve the presence and unity of Black students through its Black Students Union (BSU). Being part of the BSU also helped him to find community and build upon it during his high school journey. He will receive one of two STEM Scholarships for students pursuing a STEM career. Brown and Caldwell and Jacobs Engineering are sponsoring this scholarship.
Mays will receive one of two STEM Scholarships, which supports students pursuing a STEM career. Brown and Caldwell is sponsoring this scholarship.
The Maisin Scholar Award Program was designed to identify and support San Francisco public school students who are determined to achieve their academic goals beyond high school. The award helps these students overcome financial obstacles that stand between them and their pursuits of higher education.
In addition to financial support, Maisin Scholars also can access to internship opportunities, peer support, and academic and career counseling through the Maisin program. The scholarships sponsored by SFPUC’s partners were specifically designated for San Francisco Unified School District high school seniors who reside in Bayview-Hunters Point, who will attend college or a vocational program in the fall of 2020, and who achieved a 2.0 – 3.5 cumulative unweighted GPA.
These sponsorships are partnerships with the SFPUC’s Social Impact Partnership Program, which invites private sector firms to give back locally to the communities in which they are performing work on behalf of the SFPUC. The SFPUC is the first public utility in the country to implement a Social Impact Program that advances corporate social responsibility as a part its competitive bidding process for professional services, alternative delivery, and energy procurement contracts.
Through this process, participating firms partner with local schools and nonprofits to achieve equitable community outcomes in the areas of education, environmental justice, and workforce and economic development. Together through this innovative program, the SFPUC and its Social Impact Partners are helping to support healthy and thriving communities in San Francisco.
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