Solorio Scholars awardees celebrate end of college application process

Assemblyman Solorio (center) with the Solorio Scholars, Class of 2012

For Immediate Release: December 21, 2011
For More Information Contact: Carol Chamberlain – office: (916) 319-2069, mobile: (916) 804-5355

“Solorio Scholars” Awardees Celebrate End of College Application Process
Outstanding seniors received financial help and acquired additional writing skills for college application process

SANTA ANA – On a Saturday evening this holiday season, 25 outstanding high school seniors were recognized as “Solorio Scholars” at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana. The evening capped an intense college application season made easier for the Solorio Scholars through personalized help with their college applications and up to $250 for college application fees. The Solorio Scholars program was created in 2009 to inspire more high school students in central Orange County to apply for college.

“The college application process can be intimidating, especially for students who will be the first in their family to attend college,” Assemblyman Solorio said at the event. “I developed the Solorio Scholars program because outstanding students should not be deterred by expensive application fees and the fear of writing personal statements.”

The Solorio Scholars Class of 2012 and their attending high schools are:

Jessica Ruby Alcocer, Godinez Fundamental High School; Tina Bhakta, Cypress High School; Mary Ellen Cabuay, Rancho Alamitos High School; Andres Cruz, Garden Grove High School; Fadi Farsakh, Western High School; Stephanie Flores, Century High School; Arturo Garcia, Los Amigos High School; Cristina Garcia, Middle College High School; Caitlin Garrett, Middle College High School; Jocelyn Gutierrez, Century High School; Cristina Guzman, Middle College High School; Jazmin Hall, Middle College High School; Kevin Minh Hoang, Rancho Alamitos High School; Vincent Hoang Huy Le, Middle College High School; Kevin Leung, Pacifica High School; Jaaziel Lopez, Middle College High School; Jesmin Ngo, Oxford Academy; Timothy Nguyen, Savanna High School; Lizbeth Ortiz, Segerstrom Fundamental High School; Wendy Parada, Middle College High School; David Huu Pham, La Quinta High School; Fabiola Prado, Saddleback High School; Jose Alberto Ramirez, Godinez Fundamental High School; Vicente Robles, Godinez Fundamental High School; Kyler Walker, Oxford Academy.

The 25 Solorio Scholars, and the 115 other applicants who vied for the awards, each received personalized help with college application personal statements. Since 2009, the program has helped more than 300 students from central Orange County.

State Assemblyman Jose Solorio is the Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and also serves on the Assembly Appropriations and Transportation committees. He represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.