This was during my high school graduation. I was spending time with my siblings. I am the one in the green shirt.

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Ariana Alcaraz

Hometown and State: Forest Grove, OR
School or University Name: Pacific University
Major: Accounting
Minor: Spanish

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

This scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me because it allows me to afford books and class materials. Without this scholarship, I would be struggling to come up with money to buy necessary materials. Thank you for providing this opportunity to me.

After graduation, I plan to…

Find a job in accounting and sit for the CPA exam.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose this major because I find accounting to be a fascinating subject. I really enjoy working with numbers. It will allow me to have many opportunities when looking for a job.

Lorena Arellano Franco

Hometown and State: Keizer, OR
School or University Name: Willamette University
Major: Biology

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

This scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me. As a first-generation college student, my parents can't afford to help me pay for college. That means that the burden of paying for college has always been on me. Luckily, I have been able to cover the majority of my tuition through scholarships. This scholarship has also helped me tremendously in reducing the cost I have to pay out of pocket. I truly thank you for awarding me this scholarship. It has helped me tremendously!

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose Willamette University because of its small class sizes and close community. I felt like it was the perfect campus for me. I loved how the Willamette community incorporated everyone and the professors truly seemed to care. I chose biology as my major because I was truly fascinated by the way life works both through ecosystems and between different systems in the human body.

After graduation, I plan to…

After graduation, I plan to further my education by attending graduate school so that I can pursue research opportunities.

This picture was taken by a family friend right before I started my first year at Willamette.

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 My photo for my Bushnell Basketball profile

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Jarrett Bryant

Hometown and State: Eugene, Oregon
School or University Name: Bushnell University
Major: Business Marketing

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

I feel incredibly blessed to receive this scholarship, as it was extremely helpful to me in a time of need. Being a student athlete and a new college student, it is difficult to find time to take care of my college expenses and this will help me tremendously. Thank you so much, this truly is a blessing.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose business marketing because I have always wanted to work in sales. The world runs off of exchange, so I want to be an expert in this field.

After graduation, I plan to…

I plan to apply for internships during college and build upon the one I enjoy the most. I plan to work my way up to become an important factor in my business.

I am the one in a white button-up. This picture shows me and one of my closest friends, Julio, at our university’s winter networking event! I was able to acquire an internship after this event.

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Estefan Cervantes Rivera

Hometown and State: Woodburn, OR
School or University Name: George Fox University
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Mathematics

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

Before anything else, I want to thank MDU/Knife River and The Alliance who are behind this magnificent scholarship gift. This scholarship couldn't have come at a better time, as there are now two college students in my family. Due to this scholarship, me and my family are feeling better about our financial situation.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose to go to college to study civil engineering. I had the blessing of having a civil engineer as my high school mentor and he showed me the beauty of civil engineering.

After graduation, I plan to…

Work at AKS Engineering and Forestry and come up with various ways of showcasing what I have learned to high school students from my hometown.

Lionel Dailey Lucero

Hometown and State: Portland, OR
School or University Name: University of Portland
Major: Finance
Minor: Economics

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

Thank you for this scholarship. This scholarship was meaningful to me because it shows that my academic efforts are being recognized and it will help me in my future academic pursuits.

After graduation, I plan to…

Begin gaining valuable work experience in a local firm.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose the University of Portland because it has a strong business program and they were generous in their merit-based academic scholarships. I chose my major because finance is something that is useful to everyone even if they do not work directly in a finance field, meaning that I could apply it to more aspects in my life. I like the idea of helping people with their financial situations in the future.

This is my friends and me at a rental house in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast from June 2021.

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Trini Luna Vargas

Hometown and State: Troutdale, OR
School or University Name: Linfield University
Major: Biology
Minor: Sociology

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

This scholarship is meaningful to me because it shows that there are people out there who are willing to invest in the success of future generations. This idea warms my heart because I know that there is someone out in my community who, without knowing me personally, is willing to provide me the opportunity to pursue my academic goals. And I don’t think there are enough words to describe how thankful I am. This scholarship takes away some financial stress as I try to navigate college as a first-generation student. The process is not easy, but it always uplifts my spirits when I know that there are people in my corner who are rooting for me. So, thank you for giving me another reason to push through struggles, and for financially supporting my career goals.

Why did you choose your college and major?

Throughout my high school career, I always enjoyed my biology classes, it was one of the few subjects in which I always had lingering questions about. Biology textbooks were also really fascinating for me because I just couldn’t and sometimes still can’t get over the fact that our bodies are made up of thousands of cells that perform sophisticated functions. When I started looking at colleges, I would always find my way into their biology departments because I knew that I was going to be taking more courses in this subject. I quickly realized that in big public universities, students didn’t really get the opportunity to have frequent conversations about the topics discussed in class with their professors. And I knew that I wouldn’t be able to thrive in that kind of academic environment. So, I looked at smaller universities and discovered Linfield. When I toured campus, I fell in love with the science building. On my tour I had the opportunity to talk to a student and they had wonderful things to say about the courses and the faculty in the biology department. This experience stuck with me and later I decided to attend Linfield and pursue a major in biology.

After graduation, I plan to…

After graduation, I plan to take a gap year before I apply for medical school. During the gap year, I want to focus on studying for the MCAT and strengthen my application. I have plans to work as a scribe in a local pediatric office to gain more hands-on experience and knowledge. I also want to spend some time shadowing other doctors that work with children, such as pediatric oncologists, to explore other career options. After my gap year, I plan to submit my application and hopefully enroll in a medical school that will prepare me with the necessary knowledge to become a pediatrician.

This picture was taken at Cathedral Park, one of my favorite areas in Portland.

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My smile after getting vaccinated. I look forward to expanding my social circle and catching up with old friends!

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Rosemary Koshy

Hometown and State: Portland, OR
School or University Name: Reed College
Major: Computer Science/Mathematics

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

This scholarship ensures I can continue my education without worrying about things such as housing, food, and managing large debts as I move into adulthood. This allows me to focus on my education and view it as an unambiguous opportunity, rather than approaching it with trepidation and anxiety.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose Reed College because of its unique community and academic rigor. Reed College offered me more financial aid than any other institution, and this was the most prestigious college I could afford to attend. I am majoring in computer science (with a math focus) because numbers and strings of text have long fascinated me, and I want to pursue that interest. I am also watching the news and the direction the technology industry is moving, and I want to get into the industry to share my perspective on moral issues in technology, such as algorithmic bias and discrimination.

After graduation, I plan to…

I am interested in contributing open-source software by working for a forum that uses and contributes changes back to open-source projects: software where anyone can view the code! This is great for educating people on how technology works, helps people identify bugs, and allows for fully independent security audits. I believe all code used by the U.S. government in elections and certain other public matters, for example, should be open source to allow for greater security and transparency. Contributing to open-source software is a great educational and career opportunity! All the top 500 super computers and most web servers use Linux, an open-source operating system.

Kote Manley

Hometown and State: Beaverton, Oregon
School or University Name: Lewis & Clark College
Major: Biology

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

This scholarship was meaningful to me because I do not have the means to pay for school myself. This support helps me stay in school and I really appreciate it. Thank you!

After graduation, I plan to…

Attend medical school and become a surgeon.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose my college because it felt like a good fit for me and because it is located close to home. I am really close with my family and this allows me to see them as often as I want. I chose my major because I want to be in the medical field and a biology major is a good way to go.

This is a photo of my volleyball team and I winning a tournament senior year. I am the one in the black jersey in the front row.

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I am number 12 with the gold and black jersey! 🙂

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Enrique Munoz

Hometown and State: Hood River, OR
School or University Name: Multnomah University
Major: Business

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

This scholarship is meaningful to me because it allows me to focus more on my schoolwork rather than having in the back of my head “how am I going to pay for school?” Thank you.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose the business major because I want to be a valuable asset for to my Latino/Hispanic community. Additionally, my ability to speak Spanish will help me grow my community.

After graduation, I plan to…

I plan to help my parents set up businesses. I would also like to create some sort of firm in my community that will help new entrepreneurs get started.

Michael Toombs

Hometown and State: Jacksonville, OR
School or University Name: Corban University
Major: Business Marketing

Why was this scholarship meaningful to you?

Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to pay for school! Thank you!

After graduation, I plan to…

Pursue music and business.

Why did you choose your college and major?

I chose Corban because of the Christ-centered community, and I chose marketing because I liked the head professor.

I am in the beanie! I was supporting my sister as she ran a half-marathon!

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