Bay Federal Credit Union announced the winners of its financial education scholarships at its annual meeting March 29.
Local students Coleman Garner, Juan Padilla, and Carmen Sauceda were named Education Scholarship recipients. Micaela DiPiero and Albert Vizcarra were awarded Mac McCormac Employee Scholarships. Each will receive $1,500 for school-related expenses.
“I am incredibly pleased to honor these hard-working students,” said Carrie Birkhofer, Bay Federal president and CEO. “My hope is that each of them will succeed in their educational pursuits and go on to make a real difference in our world.”
Scholarship applicants were required to submit essays describing what their approach would be to improve money management skills of teens and adults in their communities. The essays were judged blind.
Education Scholarships
Coleman Garner
Coleman Garner, a returning student, is pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing at Cabrillo College. Garner plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing and become a registered nurse to “give back” to the Santa Cruz community.
Juan Padilla
Juan Padilla, a North Salinas High School alumnus and a sophomore at UCLA, is majoring in psychology while minoring in biomedical research, Chicano studies, and public health.
The Salinas resident and youngest of three siblings was the first in his family to graduate from high school, and he says that inspired him to continue his education. After earning a bachelor’s degree, Padilla plans to pursue a master’s of public health in epidemiology, and then a Ph.D. in epidemiology.
Carmen Sauceda
Carmen Sauceda of Aptos, a freshman environmental studies major at UC Santa Cruz.
The Pacific Collegiate School graduate says her current goals are to continually challenge herself, maintain high grades, and graduate on time.
Mac McCormac Scholarships
Micaela DiPiero
Micaela DiPiero, service manager at Bay Federal’s River Street Branch, is near to earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona Global Campus. DiPiero also won the scholarship in 2020 and 2021.
Albert Vizcarra
Albert Vizcarra, service manager at Bay Federal’s Salinas Branch, is studying business management at Cabrillo College. He plans to transfer to CSU Monterey Bay, to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Vizcarra also won the scholarship in 2021.
Since 2008, Bay Federal has awarded 75 scholarships totaling $76,500 to students who are pursuing higher education.
“I think it’s great that Bay Federal offers these opportunities for its community,” said Sauceda, who has student loans, lives at home, and works part-time to pay for college. “I also have two younger siblings that are going to go to college at some point, and I don’t want to put it all on my dad.”
The application window for the scholarships opens in November each year. The Mac McCormack Employee Scholarship was named after Bay Federal’s first employee.