Four Sunnyside High School students chosen for $20,000 college scholarship

Friday, April 28, 2017
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Four high school seniors from the same school in Fresno have been given an incredible gift to help them pursue their college education.
Each will receive a $20,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.

"I was just over the moon," Dell Scholar Veronica Leal said. "I remember seeing 'Congratulations' and I thought, 'Oh my God, I got the scholarship.'"

Leal still can't contain her excitement after being named a Dell Scholar and winning a $20,000 scholarship, a free laptop and textbook credits.

The ULA-bound senior is sharing that honor along with three fellow students in the AVID program, which helps with college readiness.
Jennifer Yang will head to UC Berkeley to pursue law.

"Because of this, I won't have to take out any loans, so I'm kind of debt-free for college," she said.

Yang will be attending CAL with her friend Kassy Vang who wants to become an oncologist.

"It means I have an opportunity to go for something they never had," Vang said. "Coming from Thailand as refugees from the war, they never had the opportunity to go toward education and having their kids go to college means a lot to them."

Students were selected based on financial need and their efforts to overcome obstacles. The Sunnyside seniors were four of 400 Dell Scholars nationwide.

"We found out we've had 49 dell scholars at Sunnyside High School since we started having kids apply to the program, which leads the nation, which is really cool," program coordinator Tony Fiori said.

Senior Jennifer Becerra says her parents cried when they found out she won. The UCLA-bound senior is passionate about medicine.

"I plan to attend medical school and specialize in trauma surgery and return to Fresno Community and help with the health disparities going on here and give back to my community."

She will be the first in her family to go to college and hopes to inspire others.

"I want them to know if I can do it, they can do it," Becerra said. "And they can do so much more. You're the only one that puts a limit to yourself."

The teens are showing that the future is limitless.
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