Scholarships

Hi, my name is Chloe and I am from Mankato, Minnesota. I am looking forward to
attending California Lutheran beginning this fall! I plan on studying Global Business and
French. I love reading, listening to music, and spending time with my family and friends.
I started figure skating in the Mankato Figure Skating Club when I was around 5 years
old and I stayed in it throughout high school. I was also in the Social Justice Club,
Conscientious Eaters Club, SHINE Club, Environmental Club, Kiwanis Key Club, Book
Club, Music Review Club, and National Honor Society through school. Through my
church, I served as the youth representative on the Christ the King Church Council and
the Justice and Peace Commission. I have worked a paid job at Kohl's for over 2 years
now. I am so excited to see what my future holds me at California Lutheran University! I
am so honored for this gift I have received. I am so happy I get to attend California
Lutheran University this fall. This scholarship has really helped me to further my
education. I'm so thankful to have received this scholarship!

Hi, my name is Miller and I am from a tiny town called New London in central Minnesota. I am so happy to be able to attend California Lutheran beginning this fall, and I am planning to study biology on a pre-med track. I love spending time with my family and friends both indoors and outside either playing games, or relaxing at the lake. Through my high school years, I played a lot of sports and was very involved in my school and community. I was part of the basketball, volleyball, robotics, and math league teams at my school, and was part of the National Honor Society and Student Council as well. I spent my Sunday mornings teaching Sunday School to 2nd and 3rd graders, and my Wednesday nights mentoring confirmation students. I was also part of the local branch of League of Women Voters, where I helped encourage my classmates to register and get out to vote. I am so eager to see where life takes me, and I am excited to continue my journey and CLU.

I am so thankful for this generous gift I have received. I am so happy to be coming on to campus this fall, and this scholarship truly will help make the process a lot easier.

My name is Isabelle Rodriguez and I am from Napa California. I am an incoming freshman in the CLU Honors Program studying Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Biology. Apart from school, I love to travel, hang out with friends, read, and watch Formula One in my free time. I also love to serve my community by volunteering and advocating for mental health through local programs in my town. 

I would like to thank the Community Leaders Association for choosing me as a recipient of your scholarship and helping me fund my educational journey. I am grateful that you took the time to review my application and saw my potential as a student and leader in my community. I appreciate any and all support in guiding me through my education. Thank you for recognizing the passion I have for my career goals and helping me to succeed and continue my education.

As a first-generation international student from a low-income background in a third-world country, studying abroad, especially in the United States, has always been the greatest privilege for me and my family. Since childhood, I have dreamed of going to the college that would match my ambitions, fund my education, and steer me in the right direction while forming strong community values in my personality. Thanks to the CLA Scholarship and other scholarships awarded by CLU, here I stand in Thousand Oaks full of ambitions, and ready to dive into the world full of new opportunities & great people. I believe that the best quality of people is to help each other in the most difficult moments and support each other in achieving our goals and ambitions, and I am determined to help our future generation in CLU, which has an ambitious mindset, to achieve their goal without thinking about financial debt. CLA and the CLU Scholarship have provided me with an exceptional opportunity to demonstrate my academic and extracurricular skills without worrying about financial problems, and I will definitely give back this huge amount of money in the form of a contribution to CLU student life and CLU research programs! Thank you so much, Community Leaders Association! I look forward to watching my fellows and future CLA Scholarship Recipients growing with me in Silicon Valley and helping each other develop our own startups!

Hi, I'm Angela from Nairobi, Kenya. On campus I am a member of the Delight Club, Black Student Union, Musician's Club, Cielo (women's chorale), Sister's Circle, Psychi (the honors psychology club), and a  Resident Assistant. For on-campus jobs, I have had the opportunity to work as a student assistant in the Campus Ministries and Community Relations offices.

I am an artist in so many ways I write, perform music and write spoken poetry. These forms of art let me express myself in such a deep way since they allow me to explore my emotions and thoughts on a deeper level. However, my passion lies beyond art; it is also in mental health advocacy. Growing up, mental health was not a topic that was discussed in my family or community. It was often seen as a taboo subject, and those who struggled with mental health were stigmatized and misunderstood. This lack of understanding and support motivated me to learn more about mental health and how it affects individuals and communities.

My goal is to use my platform as an artist and my knowledge in psychology to raise awareness about mental health and advocate for mental health education and support. In the future, I would like to be a Psychologist and transform the narrative of mental health, especially in my home country, and advocate through my talent as a musician and a spoken word artist.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Community Leaders Association. Thank you for recognizing the value of investing in students like me who are determined to make a positive impact on the world. Your generosity and belief in my abilities inspire me to push forward and strive for excellence in everything I do. Thank you for this incredible honor and the chance to pursue my passions and make a difference in the world. I am excited to see what the future holds and how I can positively impact the world around me.   

Hello! My name is Linda Tran, and I’m a senior majoring in biological sciences and minoring in chemistry. I’m also in the University Honors Program and have been on the Dean’s List for the past 3 years. As an aspiring physician assistant, I’m currently obtaining my EMT license in order to gain clinical experience. After graduating, I plan to work as an emergency department technician before applying to PA school.

Thank you to the CLA for this generous scholarship! This scholarship makes a world of difference to me and my medical journey: I'll be pursuing my education for the next decade, and while I don't regret my field of choice, EMT's are paid minimum wage, which will make repaying my student loans difficult. I am so, so grateful to be supported by my community: I'm truley humbled by all the trust you all have put in me and my ability to serve causes I'm passionate about.

I'm deeply interested in tackling food insecurity as a result of taking sociology and learning about different social justice issues. Food insecurity really struck out to me because the fact that food insecurity is a problem that is incomprehensible to me when food waste produced worldwide on a daily basis. I believe that no one should go hungry, and as a biology major, one of the social determinants of health is one's nutrition. By getting involved at food banks, I'd like to help out vulnerable populations and ensure that they receive the resources that they need to stay healthy and well.