Godinez H.S. grad receives the Harry S. Truman Scholarship

Santa Ana, Calif. (April 12, 2024) – Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento is thrilled to announce that Diego A. Sarmiento, a resident of Santa Ana and County of Orange intern, becomes the first Godinez High School graduate to receive the prestigious recognition from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Sarmiento is the middle child of Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento.

“This remarkable milestone marks a significant achievement not only for Diego but also for our community, celebrating an arduous journey of hard work and perseverance.,” said Supervisor Sarmiento. “Diego’s accomplishments as a public school graduate emphasize the impact of accessible education on individual growth and community advancement,” he continued.

Truman Scholars are selected for demonstrating outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. Each Truman Scholar receives funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.

Born and raised in Santa Ana, Diego is the proud son of Bolivian and Mexican immigrants. From a young age, his mother, father, and aunt instilled in him the value of public service, education, resilience, and community. Over the past four years, Diego has mobilized thousands of his neighbors to engage and vote in local politics through community organizing. Interning at the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ office, Diego helped push forward an unprecedented homelessness prevention program. Diego hopes to continue the fight to give his community a political voice through his “Santanero Voter Initiative,” a program to increase voter turnout among Latino youth. Diego studies political science and public affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles and intends to pursue a JD/MA in economics.

The 60 new Truman Scholars were selected from 709 candidates nominated by 285 colleges and universities. They were recommended by seventeen independent selection panels based on the finalists’ academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. Regional selection panels included distinguished civic leaders, elected officials, university presidents, federal judges, and past Truman Scholarship winners.

About Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in November 2022. He represents the Second District, which includes Santa Ana and portions of Garden Grove, Tustin, Orange, and Anaheim. Previously, he served the Santa Ana community as a Councilmember from 2008–2020 and as Mayor from 2020–2022. Currently, he serves as Chairman on the Commission to End Homelessness, director for the Orange County Transportation Authority as well as a director for CalOptima Health. For more information, visit SupervisorSarmiento.com

About the Truman Scholarship

Established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of our 33rd President by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. When approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, President Truman embodied this commitment to the future of public service by asking Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar monument. For almost fifty years, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled that mission: inspiring and supporting Americans from diverse backgrounds to public service. For more information, visit Truman.gov.