Jacob Munoz / Dennis Mendenhall Memorial Scholarship
University, College or School Attending: California Lutheran University, School of Management
Your Area of Study/Major: Master of Business Administration
Education and Career Goals: I have completed my undergraduate degree in Business Administration and I am looking to obtain my Master’s degree by Winter of 2024. My immediate career goals are to pursue a career in sales and data management. My long term goal is to one day become a business owner.
What inspires you? My father is the individual that inspires me the most. My father was very hands-on in all aspects of my life and led by example. He was a man that always put his family first and would go to any lengths to ensure comfort and happiness for my sisters and I. He always inspired me to pursue my dreams in life and showed me that they do not come without hard work. Now that he has passed away, I have a burning desire to succeed in everything I do to ensure that his ultimate sacrifice is not put to waste.
Hobbies, Sports or Clubs: Surfing, going to the gym, spending time with family/friends
Clubs: Delta Sigma Pi Brother, Investing Club
What does it mean to be part of a firefighter family? I have been a part of the LAFD family for my entire life and I am so grateful that I was essentially born into it. I have witnessed firsthand the brotherhood that members of the LAFD family bestow upon themselves and it never fails to amaze me. Having countless individuals that I am able to go to for any reason is something that I am eternally grateful for.
How will this scholarship help you? A scholarship would help me to solely focus on absorbing as much information in my schooling as possible while having a portion of the financial burden taken off of my shoulders. The finances behind the MBA degree was originally one of the biggest reasons as to why I was hesitant pursuing it immediately upon graduation from the undergraduate program, but with the help of a scholarship, a significant amount of my concerns will be put to rest..
Samantha Clays / Leo K. Najarian Memorial Scholarship
University, College or School Attending: Azuza Pacific University
Your Area of Study/Major: Major in Nursing, Minor in Spanish
Education and Career Goals: My education goal is to obtain a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree along with a medical Spanish certification. I would like to be successful through nursing school, maintaining good grades, and to do well in my clinicals to eventually specialize as a NICU nurse for my career.
What inspires you? One major thing that has led me to my choice of a career in nursing is the fact that I am bilingual and have the ability to lessen language barriers and help twice the amount of people because of this. Being able to read, write, and speak both English and Spanish gives me the ability to communicate with others and provide them with the deeper level of understanding and care. This will also help in emergent situations involving frustration and worry enabling people to feel heard and comforted if I am able to communicate with them about everything that is happening.
Hobbies, Sports or Clubs: Being with friends/people that make me happy, working (busser, food runner, hostess), snowboarding during the winter, mountain biking during the summer.
Sports: Soccer (play for my high school) Crossfit
Clubs: National Honor Society, California Scholarship Foundation, Art Club
List Any Awards: Seal of Biliteracy- Spanish and English, National Honor Society, California Scholarship Foundation, Academic Scholarships: Presidents Scholarship (through APU), Steven Mihaylo (from high school), , Honors College, 4.0 + awards all eight semesters of high school – High Honor Roll
What does it mean to be part of a firefighter family? Being part of a firefighter family has completely shaped the way that I was raised and the people that I am surrounded by. I remember from a very young age feeling part of a community from celebrating holidays like Christmas at my dad’s station to going on river trips with family friends made through the department. These people have become a support system for everything that I do and they are now considered more like a family than friends. I have also personally witnessed the way that the firefighter families come together for one another. When I was young, my uncle passed away while in the line of duty as a firefighter. The firefighters at my dad’s station and the entire firefighter family from the US Forest Service, became involved in providing love and support to my family without having to ever be asked or even knowing us personally. When you are a part of the firefighter family, work schedules are also very different, meaning my dad cannot always be at everything or just call off of work to watch my games. This has caused me to be that much more grateful for the time that he is around and the things that he is able to be at. This has also taught me about sacrifice, my dad sacrificing certain events in my life because he knows that he has to go to work so that he can provide my family and I with the things and opportunities that we have. As part of the firefighter family, you must learn to be flexible in life. Having to work around my dad’s schedule last minute and dealing with assign hires and overtime have taught me that being flexible with time and things is important. All of these things have given me an understanding of what it really means to be part of a firefighter family and what my dad does for our family, helping to make me the person that I am today.
How will this scholarship help you? This scholarship will help ease the financial burden that is put on my parents by a substantial amount. Because of this scholarship, I will no longer have to worry about the cost of my entire freshman year of college. Prior to this, I had already been awarded a few scholarships to help with the cost, but I still had a large balance that would have fallen on my parents to pay. This scholarship has now given me the opportunity to contribute and do my part financially to help my parents.
Lauren Sweet / Bill Goss Scholarship
University, College or School Attending: Purdue University
Your Area of Study/Major: Nursing
Education and Career Goals: I hope to graduate and obtain my RN degree in four years as well as eventually continuing my education and becoming a nurse practitioner. I also hope to work in the emergency department or Labor and Delivery for the majority of my nursing career.
What inspires you? I am inspired by my family around me. I have a large number of family members who are in the healthcare world and their bravery as well as their intelligence inspires me. My dad, being a firefighter sees life altering images everyday and my mother constantly helps people gain their strength back while also looking out for their best interests. They are heros and I can only hope to be half as talented as they are in my future career.
Hobbies, Sports or Clubs: I used to play soccer in high school and all throughout my childhood. I am in a few clubs such as National Honors Society, California Scholarship Federation, Interact Club, and my friends and I started a Fashion Club at our school. I also used to be in Girl Scouts and just recently completed my journey.
List Any Awards: Girl Scout Gold Award
What does it mean to be part of a firefighter family? I feel a large amount of gratitude and pride while being a part of a firefighter family. My father is a hero and he is so selfless when it comes to helping everyone around him. He has saved thousands of people inside and outside of work and just having the ability to help someone is a rare quality that is admired by so many. Everyone has so much respect for firemen and I am very proud to be the daughter of one.
How will this scholarship help you? This scholarship will give me so many opportunities throughout college that I would not have been able to explore if I hadn’t received this scholarship. I now may not have to work through college and can focus 100% of my time in my studies. Nursing is a very demanding major and having less stress on the cost of college will definitely benefit me and my career.
Alyssa Wakefield / Relief Scholarship
University, College or School Attending: University of Michigan: LSA Honors
Your Area of Study/Major: Classics
Education and Career Goals: To receive my degree from the University of Michigan in Classics. I would like to participate in archeological field studies as well as more technical museum work. Eventually, I would like to go back to school for a degree in teaching, which I would then use to teach the knowledge of classics which I had obtained through years of study.
What inspires you? My dad was born to a Japanese immigrant on a military base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Post-WWII racism rested on his right shoulder, with poverty on his left— burdens that followed him into adulthood. This childhood left him without fatherly affection, especially by Western standards.
Despite the roughness of his upbringing, it is as though my dad has transcended past his childhood and entered an entirely new space as an adult with kids of his own. I constantly take note of his presence on the court during all of my basketball games and academic team matches. I recall days of us baking blueberry muffins, and of all the times he brought me to Costco, even though he knew my insatiable taste for free samples would be a nuisance. Upon retiring, he gifted me a navy blue sweatshirt that was used to signify his work. On the right breast of the pullover lies the Station 48 insignia and on the left: our shared surname.
About a year ago I unzipped my camo backpack in an airport in Canada, only to find that this sweatshirt was not there. This of course sent me into a panic— one which resulted in my begging the neighbor to check my room to make sure the sweatshirt had mistakenly been left behind rather than lost. And that is because to me that piece of blue fabric is, beyond being a symbol of my dad’s occupation, a symbol of the fruits of this labor. He has worked, and continues to work, an immeasurable amount to play life with the poor hand he was dealt and assure that his children do not receive that same hand. His resilience in breaking cyclical cultural barriers and poverty inspires me more than any quote in a book or celebrity on TV ever could.
Hobbies, Sports or Clubs: Book Reviewer/Critic, “Online Book Club”: For the last three years I have been paid to read, analyze, and write reviews for up-and-coming authors. Doing so allows me to participate in an active community of bibliophiles, sharing various perspectives and concepts while simultaneously offering constructive criticism. TPHS Team Captain, Academic Team, North County Academic League (NCAL): I have led the competitive trivia team as Captain all four years of high school. My responsibilities range from organizing year-round practice and speaking to younger classes about joining the team. Board President, Carmel Valley Public Library Teen Advisory Board: Arrange community outreach events bi-monthly, encourage donations from local businesses, and support volunteers throughout the year via organized events. Volunteer Peer Tutor, Tutors4Stars: I tutor neurodivergent and low-income students; provide homework reviews, and construct weekly lesson plans. Public Library Tea and Reads Club: I am a member of the Carmel Valley Library’s Tea and Reads Club, in which we choose a new piece of classic literature to read and discuss on a bi-monthly basis.
List Any Awards: Presidential Volunteer Award (Gold and Bronze): Completed over 100 hours of volunteer service within that given year. Above and Beyond Activism Excellence Award: In a project-based summer course on working with neurodivergent students my concept and project implementation ranked me 2nd among 80+ international participants and 1st among teams. AP Scholar with Distinction: Maintained at least a 3.25 score average and a 3 or higher on at least 5 AP exams. NCAL Divison Champion (x2) and Regional Semi-finalist: Maintained the best record in our division two years straight and made it up to the regional semi-finals.
What does it mean to be part of a firefighter family? The LAFD family is one which embraces extensions of itself with open arms. One which watched my brother and me shoot down orange cones with the water hose. One which allowed me to play racquetball with my dad when I came to visit. And one which worked in unison to bring him, and every other parent, home to their children at night. I am forever grateful for the LAFD’s part in raising me in my youth, as well as in making my dad the wonderful father figure he has been all of my life. I viscerally recall crying mournfully on my dad’s retirement night because this was a part of him that I never expected to end. With that being said, I see the effects of discipline and persistence in my father years after retirement— and I see within myself as a byproduct of his parenting.
How will this scholarship help you? Gifting me this scholarship would give me the ability to explore a university that simultaneously challenges me academically and expands my horizons both professionally and socially. My parents have worked their entire adult lives to allow me to put my best foot forward as I take the next step of higher learning. This scholarship would facilitate my larger goals of archeological fieldwork and research, programs which are paid positions for the University of Michigan’s students. Furthermore, it would allow me to attend a school with a vast and prideful alumni network that consistently offers opportunities and advice to current students. That is all to say that winning this scholarship would assist in my attendance at a top university— which would not only be the culmination of my hard work but also a path to continue doing so.
Madeline Cordaro / Relief Scholarship
University, College or School Attending: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Your Area of Study/Major: Environmental Management and Protection
Education and Career Goals: In addition to the Environmental Management and Protection major, I plan on minoring in Business, in order to achieve my goal of working as an Environmental Consultant.
What inspires you? Interacting with the natural world inspires me. No matter how overwhelming the situations throughout my life have been, spending time in nature has been a source of comfort for me. I feel that the risk of our environment deteriorating is more serious than many people realize and I would like to directly contribute to heightening awareness and aid in its protection.
Hobbies, Sports or Clubs: Founder of Environmental Activism Club, Co-President of National Organization for Women, participate in Political Youth Club, Interact, Senior Care Club, and played lacrosse and field hockey. For the past year, I have been working at a cafe at a local campground. I love to read, paint, draw, and bake.
List Any Awards: Honor Roll, AP Scholar with Distinction (2022, 2023), Biliteracy Recognition
What does it mean to be part of a firefighter family? Being a part of a firefighter family has taught me the importance of finding a support system within one’s community. I have been inspired by the displays of compassion and empathy both from the firefighters in their careers and the fire families’ support of each other.
How will this scholarship help you? This scholarship will allow me to focus more fully on my academic goals. It will also allow for more time and connection with my peers in the hopes of creating a community that parallels the one I have been proud to be a part of in the firefighter community.
Ashlyn Quinn / Relief Scholarship
University, College or School Attending: San Diego State University
Your Area of Study/Major: Kinesiology Pre-Physical Therapy
Education and Career Goals: After my time at SDSU I will continue with my educational endeavors, enter medical school, and pursue the occupation of sports medicine physician.
What inspires you? My biggest inspiration is my dad. Growing up watching my father constantly put his life on the line to save complete strangers, it has taught me to do my best to help others. Thus, it should come as no surprise that I spend hours a day tutoring, volunteering, and trying to help as many people as possible. As an AP student athlete, I have endured a very rigorous schedule with very limited free time. Instead of using that free time for meaningless activities, I try to spend that time doing more impactful things, such community service. I worked extremely hard to contribute to my community while excelling as an AP student athlete. I push myself academically with college, AP and honors classes, allowing me to achieve a 4.5 GPA. At the same time, I participated as a Varsity basketball player. However, I will never forget the importance of dedicating time to help those around me.
Watching my dad dedicate his life to helping those around him has inspired me to enter the medical field. I want to carry on the legacy my father created by continuing to help people like he does. And while that might not entail running into burning buildings or being a first responder in emergency situations, I will provide people the tools and treatment program necessary to return back to their previous lifestyle and come out stronger both physically and mentally than how they came to me. There would be no greater feeling at the end of the day than saying that I was able to better people’s lives, and that is exactly what I am pursuing by entering this field of study.
Just the same, my parents had instilled the values of hard work and empathy very early on in my childhood, and now those values are the driving force of everything I do. I would not be half as successful educationally, athletically, or just as a human being if it wasn’t for their support and the values of hard work that they have passed down to me. My dad is my biggest inspiration, and I hope that one day I will make as big of an impact on the lives of others that he has.
Hobbies, Sports or Clubs: I love to go to the beach, listen to music, and play sports (including basketball, volleyball, and spikeball). I played on my high school Varsity basketball team, was a student athletic trainer, and an active part of my high school’s student body. I offer free tutoring services and lead or participate in school clubs such as the community service club, mentorship club, spanish club, and more.
List Any Awards: AP Scholar Award, Seal of Biliteracy, Spartan Laurels (School Academic Award), Girls Basketball Most Improved Player Award, University of California Eligibility in the Local Context Award
What does it mean to be part of a firefighter family? Some of my favorite childhood memories include visiting my dad and his work family at the station or being able to show him off to my elementary school classes during Heroes week. I am extremely proud and grateful to be a part of the firefighter family community, and many of the core values of the profession have been passed down to me through my dad. He has raised me to be a hard worker, determined, and to not give up when things get tough. With going to medical school, and becoming a sports medicine physician, I will be able to better the lives of numerous people. My goal is to help treat and rehabilitate individuals like my dad and many other firefighters who have sustained injuries on the job. Growing up watching my dad help others everyday, it inspired me, and I aim to follow in his footsteps by continuing to help people through rehabilitation programs. I am honored to be part of the long list of recipients who are so fortunate to have such generous support from these donors, and help contribute to what makes the LAFD family so special.
How will this scholarship help you? The financial aid that I am receiving in this scholarship will aid my family in paying for college and lessen student loans. The career path I am pursuing requires over 7 years of schooling, which also entails purchasing textbooks, class materials, housing and other expenses. The financial aid that will come from this scholarship will help me immensely when pursuing my educational endeavors.
