Two Gavilan College students will receive $20,000 scholarships after being selected for the prestigious UC Pister Scholarship, a statewide award recognizing exceptional California community college transfer students.
Paula Pacheco and Mia Abonce were each awarded the scholarship and will transfer to the University of California, Santa Cruz, this fall, Gavilan College officials said.
The UC Pister Scholarship honors students who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership potential and perseverance while preparing to transfer to a University of California campus.
For Pacheco, a first-generation college student, the award represents the culmination of a journey that began years after she first left college to help support her family following her father’s death.
After enrolling at Gavilan through the CalWORKs program as a working parent in her mid-30s, Pacheco excelled academically, earning places on the dean’s list and president’s list while pursuing degrees in communication studies and administration of justice.
“I found my voice and I found my purpose at Gavilan,” Pacheco said.
During her studies, Pacheco also overcame a serious neurological health challenge that threatened to interrupt her education, Gavilan staff said. She credited counselors, faculty and campus support programs for helping her stay on track.
At UC Santa Cruz, she plans to major in community studies before pursuing a master’s degree in social work. Her long-term goal is to establish a nonprofit serving teenage girls in San Benito County who have experienced abuse or trauma.
“This scholarship is proof that I’m on the right track,” Pacheco said. “Gavilan has allowed me to turn my past into a future that is going to help others through advocacy, storytelling and systemic change.”
Abonce, also a first-generation college student from San Benito County, said she once questioned whether a university education would be financially possible.
After enrolling at Gavilan, she discovered a passion for biology, neuroscience and mental health through STEM coursework, faculty mentors and the college’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement program.
“Gavilan opened so many doors for me,” Abonce said.
She will study neuroscience at UC Santa Cruz this fall. Abonce said learning she had received the scholarship was as exciting as her admission to the university.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
The scholarship will help make it possible for Abonce to continue her education and pursue a career in neuroscience, Gavilan officials said.
Both students said Gavilan’s supportive environment helped them succeed. Pacheco said campus programs welcomed her children, making them part of her educational journey, while Abonce encouraged future students to consider community college.
“Don’t overlook community college,” Abonce said. “The teachers, the support, the community—it can open doors you never expected.”
Gavilan College serves southern Santa Clara and San Benito counties with campuses and educational sites in Gilroy, Hollister, Morgan Hill and San Martin, offering transfer, career education and lifelong learning programs.
