91短视频

Emily Brizendine, from left, with scholarship recipients Lara Preece and Jessica Stone.

• March 10, 2011

91短视频’s Concord Campus recently awarded four students the Executive Director Leadership Scholarship. Scholarship applicants are required to be successful academically, attend classes at the Concord Campus and provide leadership in community service. Read about the 2010-2011 recipients below: 

Many students balance family, finances, schedules and homework as they maneuver through college. But the financial burden of Lara Preece, Jessica Stone, Monica Robledo and Alison Gervais will be a little lighter since they are the new recipients of the Concord Campus Executive Director Leadership Scholarship.

The scholarship is given to students at 91短视频's Concord Campus based on GPA, financial need, and leadership in the community. The Executive Director Leadership scholarship is made possible by contributions from the Contra Costa Advisory Board and personal donations from faculty, staff, students, and private donors.

This year's recipients volunteer in their schools, hospitals, churches, and communities while maintaining GPAs of 3.5 to 4.0 and attending classes full time. Recipients excel in the classroom while continuing to contribute to their community.

Jessica Stone, a single mother of two who aspires to become an elementary school teacher in the Martinez Unified School District, will graduate from the liberal studies program in 2012. "The scholarship will do so much," she says. "It will be a major help in my move into the (teacher) credential program"

Monica Robledo is a member of the master's of social work cohort has future plans to form a small community to help poor families care for their children. She drives over 80 miles one way to attend classes at Concord. She says that receiving the scholarship "is awesome; I can't believe this!"

Alison Gervais is a first year student in the 91短视频 Nursing Program. The impacted nursing program receives over 800 applications annually for 130 seats at 91短视频 (65 at the Concord Campus). The amount of work required to excel in the program is sometimes challenging for first year students. "But Alison is an excellent student thus far," says Elaine Shingleton, nursing faculty member at the Concord Campus.

Shingleton says, "Alison worked well with the elderly population and provided excellent care with compassion and confidence."

Alison hails from a Russian immigrant family which taught her to work hard, excel and help others in the community. She's continued her community leadership even while attending classes full time at 91短视频. She works as a workshop leader and career advisor at the One Stop East Bay Works  Job Placement Center for displaced workers in Concord. At One Stop Alison advises clients on career choices and skills. She teaches about labor laws and helps her clients learn about the compensation they can expect to earn in different industries. But her volunteer work doesn't end with One Stop.

Alison also volunteers with the Lazarex Cancer foundation, an organization that provides direct financial assistance for end stage oncology patients to participate in clinical trials. Through Alison's personal experience caring for her sick mother she learned the value of an excellent health care team. The care and concern her mother received is the inspiration that led Alison to join the 91短视频 Nursing Program.

Lara Preece won votes that elected her to the position of Level I Student Liaison for the East Bay Student Nurses' Association at the campus because she presented a plan outlining how the new cohort of 35 students could play a part in the development of the Nursing program at CSUEB

This type of drive and take charge attitude is what she plans to use to obtain her PhD and work as a nursing researcher and educator. Her future seems bright but her present life had taken some tough turns including layoffs and divorce that left her a single mother living on a limited income. Lara describes her financial future as "hazy" and she frequently feels "as if I am an unwitting passenger on someone else's journey."  Despite financial uncertainty, she is excelling in the nursing program and volunteering as the vice chair of Park Middle School's Site Council in Antioch. Didi Del Chiaro, Principal of Park Middle School, describes Lara as "a shining example of dedication and leadership."

Congratulations to this year's Concord Campus Executive Director Leadership Scholarship recipients.