2019 Jim Nienow Scholarship Recipients

Record-Setting Year for Scholarships

In 2019 we awarded more in scholarships than we ever had in the long history of our association! With your support of both our 30th Annual Jim Nienow Golf Tournament and our 1st Annual RCASoCal Clay Shoot, we raised $38,500 in scholarships and awarded 19 recipients! Thank you for your support of these important fundraisers! Check out our recap of our 30th Annual Jim Nienow Golf Tournament here! And learn a little about our 2019 scholarship recipients below!


Ariana Zuniga

Major: Business Administration

How does a degree in Business Administration help you feel empowered?
To understand how businesses work and how to help them grow feels like a step towards progress. My older sibling has also worked in retail for several years now and helping customers have a positive experience and a good day is a nice feeling. I hope to eventually earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration.


Lilialana Wise

Major: AA & Dental Program Certification

What are your goals as you complete the dental program?
Becoming a Dental Hygienist will be my final goal at Cerritos College. I am in the process of completing my first year in the Dental Assisting Program and will be starting internship under the direction of two dental offices in Whitter and Long Beach. The next stage will be interning in the Orthodontist field so I can assist with all patients. This training should start in the Summer 2019. In Fall 2019 I plan to continue with the remaining courses needed to complete AA requirements and start on prerequisites needed to be accepted into the Dental Hygiene program. The positive experience in my own oral hygiene and welcoming staff members at my own dental office since a child have encouraged me to follow this path.

 


Byron Aguilar

Major: Electrical Engineering

How did you become interested in the field of electrical engineering?
My interest in engineering began when I was in elementary school, but my specific interest in electrical engineering began in high school. There, I joined a robotics team which I eventually became the captain of for two years. During this time, I met mentors who encouraged me to explore different areas of robotics. During this time, I realized that electronics were a complex mystery to me which I wanted to solve. During my time at UCSB, I further discovered that I was good at the career I am pursuing. I have been able to maintain a good GPA, create great projects, and land prestigious internships.


Fernando Lozano

Major: Business Systems and Operations Management

How have your life experiences influenced your career goals and dreams?
Growing up in a community with scarce resources has taught me to value the opportunity I have been granted to attend and one day graduate from CSUN. I realize the struggles many other students encounter growing up in similar communities, which influenced me to choose a career path where I may help these communities to provide the resources students need to succeed at a large scale.


Joshua Evans

Major: Kinesiology/Sports Medicine

How did your own experiences with injuries impact your decision to pursue sports medicine?
Kinesiology has been an interest of mine since being a high school athlete. Being faced with injuries of my own – from sprains to breaks and rehab – made me realize our bodies are strong and resilient. During my physical therapy sessions I was able to see firsthand how injuries with therapy can be restored. This is what lead me to want to know more about how I can avoid or decrease future casualties. By having a competitive spirit, I want to continue playing football as long as possible. However, if that does not happen I feel by choosing a field in Physical Therapy it would allow me to be able to interact with a professional sports organization health group or individual training.


Mariela Cisneros

Major: Criminal Justice

Why is studying the field of Criminal Justice such an important pursuit for you?
I have always been interested in the Criminal Justice field since I was a child. More specifically, becoming an advocate for victims of domestic and substance abuse. I have always been interested in helping individuals that come from rough backgrounds and overall improving the criminal justice system.

 

 


Spencer Winkle

Major: Public Administration

Talk a little about your interest in a career in Public Administration.
My aspirations to be a public administrator stemmed from an early age. When I was younger, I would go to various city halls with my father, a roofing contractor, to obtain building permits. To this day, he advises me not to be a contractor, but to be on the other side of the counter – issuing building permits. I am pursuing a Masters of Public Administration at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy because my goal is to mentor future public administrators.

 


Samantha Vargas

Major: Criminal Justice

What draws you to criminal justice?
I’ve always been interested in criminal justice for as long as I can remember. I grew up reading books, playing games, watching shows – all related to criminal justice.


Lexi Omlor

Major: Film Studies

How did you find yourself interested in a career in entertainment?
I have always been extremely interested in the creative side of life. I always admired those who revolved their lives around creating things for others’ entertainment, solely because it was so different from any other job out there. When I was 11 and diagnosed with a rare immune disorder that stripped my body from its strength I had to stop playing soccer, which I had been doing since I was three years old. All of my childhood I imagined myself playing on the American women’s soccer team as an adult. However when this dream was taken away from me my other strengths in life shined through. Writing became a major outlet for me, and it soon became all I did considering how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. Furthermore, with the consideration of positive feedback I consistently received from family and friends, I realized that I could write for a living. More specifically, I thought about how interesting it would be to write for movies. My pleasure in creating fictional stories then led me to discover the job of producing and then directing. Ever since then I‘ve had my eye on working in the film industry as a screenwriter, producer, or director.


Mikhail Manakin

Major: Nursing

What impacted your decision to pursue nursing?
I like working with people and helping them as much as I can. Being in the health and medical careers academy has led me to want to become a nurse in the medical field.


Giselle Lewis

Major: Sociology

Why do you feel Sociology is the career of choice for you?
I wish to pursue a career in Sociology because of my boundless fascination of cultures, people groups, and the general world of human interaction. I first discovered and honed this passion four years ago in freshmen AP Human Geography. I plan to use my work with special needs children as a catalyst for further exploration of areas of study.


Jeniffer Aguilar

Major: Business

What ultimately inspired you to pursue studies in Business?
I have always been really good at talking to others. Currently I am majoring in international business and love to travel and talk to others. I am going to study abroad in Korea this upcoming semester because of my major and I am beyond excited. All my previous jobs have set me up to be resourceful, determined, and exposed to the world. I am excited for what I can offer the world and what else is out there for me.


Alyssa Blackmore

Major: Undeclared

How do you see your career path unfolding?

My career choice surrounds psychology, specializing in criminal psychology, or adolescence. From personal experiences in my life, I have always been interested in why we make the decisions we do and have always enjoyed talking with others on their feelings and lifestyle.


Christopher Concepcion

Major: Business

What is your motivation behind pursuing a Business degree?
My focus in business is finance. I was motivated to choose this career because  all of my life I have been interested in this career. However, what really made me pursue it was my personal finance class in junior college. Also, mostly working in sales I have learned how money flows.


Joshua Parmenter

Major: Political Science

How did you find your passion for your major of choice?
I have an interest in becoming a first responder. I have always been passionate about helping people and feel this is the best way for me to do that. The past two summers I have been an ocean lifeguard for California State parks, which has helped develop the skill and passion for this career field.


Carolina Banuelos

Major: Sociology

What are your goals as a Sociology major?
I have always been intrigued by how society can affect people’s everyday lives. Also, I want to be able to help people who are dealing with mental illnesses. My cousin led me into this career choice because she is a social worker and always talked about her job.


Anaid Bautista

Major: Health Science

Where would you like your degree in Health Science to take you professionally?
I have a high interest in pursuing counseling as a Marriage and Family therapist. I would like to provide low income communities with mental health services. As I go further into my career, my academics and work experience encourage me to continue my education in the health field. For example, working as a Nurse Assistant I have been exposed to patients with different mental health disorders.


Chelsea Bran

Major: Biology

What inspired you most to choose Biology as your career path?
My career choice is to become a pediatrician. Ever since I was little I’ve been going to the same pediatrician, Dr. Goodman. He is always so happy to see me. You can really tell he loves his job and he inspired me to become a pediatrician. So, Dr. Goodman and the fact that I love biology and kids is why I choose this career. My previous work experiences have taught me how to work with others which will relate to my career.


Analia Cabral

Major: School Counseling

What inspired you to choose this career path?
I began my career in education early in my undergraduate studies when I worked for the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness Program (GEAR UP) – an educational organization that provides structural interventions to title one schools by assisting a cohort of students in their pursuit of higher education. Through GEAR UP, I gained valuable practice by working as a tutor, mentor, parent-liaison, and college advisor in three low socio-economic middle schools and six underprivileged high schools in the Anaheim Unified school district. When I began working in this organization six years ago, my original goal was to pursue a career as a social studies teacher. I knew I wanted to give back to my community in the field that I am passionate about, which is education. However, as I developed relationships with students, I realized my strongest abilities were active listening and being amicable with strangers, which better aligned with the counseling profession.


Giselle Camacho

Major: Medical Assistant

Why did you choose your field of study?
I’m interested in my career choice because I like interacting with people. I also like helping out others, possibly even making a change. An event that led me to this career choice is the birth of my nephew. His arrival has given me the ability to have patience for others. My previous and recent work experience will relate to my career because I interact personally with customers and know how to resolve problems.