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SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Friday, August 20th Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes honored two of the 2021 Minerva Scholarship recipients. The program awards up to eighty-seven California residents a $2,500 scholarship.
The Minerva Scholarship program was established by Women in California Leadership to support the advancement and empowerment of women. This foundation awarded two scholarships to students from the 47th Assembly District.
The 2021 scholarships were awarded to Veronica Banuelos, San Bernardino and Destiny Lopez, Rialto. Both have shown a commitment to their communities and higher education.
“It is an honor to present these two scholarships to women in our community who have gone above and beyond to serve their community and strive for more knowledge,” said Assembly Majority Leader Reyes. “Congratulations to Veronica and Destiny and good luck on your studies.”
Veronica is a first year student at Pomona College, graduating Arroyo Valley High School in 2020 during the pandemic. During high school, she served as academic decathlon president, varsity tennis captain, Pomona College Academy of Youth Success Student Advisory Board, and teaching assistant.
Additionally, she was an organizer for Bloodstream Blood Drive and Adopt-A-Family for her local community. Veronica was also part of the third Assembly District 47 Young Legislators, where she actively participated in each of our meetings, and went beyond the expectations of the program by volunteering at several of our District events.
Her commitment to her scholastic and athletic excellence and to her community’s success is what shaped her into the leader she is today, and the leader she will be in the future.
“I would like to thank the Minerva Scholarship program for making this scholarship possible and available for students like myself. I can humbly say, from the bottom of my heart, that I am honored, and grateful to use this to continue my education. Thank you to Assembly Majority Leader Reyes, Maha Rizvi, and the rest of the team for introducing me to such wonderful opportunities,” said Veronica Banuelos.
A recent graduate of Eisenhower High School, Destiny is planning to attend California State University, San Marcos. While attending school, she was an active student in her school district, where she had the opportunity to serve as the student voice on Rialto Unified School District’s Strategic Planning Committee.
Her involvement continued to high school where she served as ASB President, ASB Vice president, District Strategic Planning Committee-Student Member, Key Club President, Varsity Cheer Captain, and Equity and Access Team Member.
Surrounded by the uncertainty of the pandemic and the devastation of losing a year on campus, she applied and was selected as Student Board Member for RUSD, where she advocated for social emotional programs for students affected by the pandemic.
“It was an honor to be able to take part in this experience that so few women are able to I couldn’t begin to express how grateful I am. I promise to make you proud,” said Destiny Lopez.
For more information on the complete scholarship requirements and details, go to the Foundation’s website at https://wicl.us/scholarship-program/
Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes represents Assembly District 47 which includes the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, San Bernardino, and the unincorporated areas of Muscoy and Bloomington.
