Inaugural Cohort of Ready Now Yuma Scholars Selected

In 2012, Helios Education Foundation partnered with Yuma Union High School District and an initiative called Ready Now Yuma was born. This initiative provided all students in the district with access to a rigorous, high expectations curriculum within a college-going environment. The end goal was to increase the number of students entering and succeeding in postsecondary education.

Helios continued its commitment to the Yuma community through the creation of the Helios Ready Now Yuma Scholarship Program, a scholarship fund at the Arizona Community Foundation. The scholarship was created to support Yuma high school seniors with financial need attending an accredited post-secondary institution and pursuing any field of study for up to four (4) years. 

The Helios Ready Now Yuma Scholarship program awards six students – one from each of the Yuma Union High School District schools – with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to a public college or university in Arizona or up to $15,000 per year to a private or out-of-state college or university of their choice. 

 

Helios received a large number of scholarship applications for this inaugural scholarship.  It was a competitive selection process filled with many talented and deserving students.

Recipients have selected Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona to pursue their educational goals in a variety of fields, including Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Veterinary Sciences, Psychology, Social Work, and Biology. The students selected are not only involved in school extracurricular activities like student council, cross country, soccer, national honor society, and the school newspaper, but they also have a strong history of contributing to the Yuma region through community service efforts. 

The inaugural Ready Now Yuma Scholarship recipients are: 

Karen Campa from Cibola High School will be attending the University of Arizona

Julieta Taraborrelli from Gila Ridge High School will be attending the University of Arizona

Epiphany Jones from Kofa High School will be attending Arizona State University

Fransheska Salgado from San Luis High School will be attending Arizona State University

Lesley Barajas from Vista High School will be attending Northern Arizona University

Anthony Nunez from Yuma High School will be attending University of Arizona

“Helios Education Foundation is extremely proud of this inaugural cohort of students. We are grateful for our partnership with Yuma Union High School District and admire the work they have done to increase the college and career readiness of their students,” said Vince Yanez, Senior Vice President, Arizona Community Engagement. “This diverse group of students is very deserving of this scholarship, and we are very fortunate to be part of their postsecondary journey. We wish them all the best of luck!” 

Watch the students find out they were selected as the recipients of the scholarship in the video below: