9 Riverside students win scholarships named for the late Tom Hunt – Press Enterprise

The first scholarships named for late Riverside school board member Tom Hunt have been presented.

Nine students received the awards from the Riverside Unified School District Foundation and will share in $9,000 from the Tom Hunt Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The youths are Career and Technical Education students in the Riverside Unified School District, a choice made because of Hunt’s support for vocational education and hands-on learning, a news release states.

Hunt, 68, died in June 2024, after fighting cancer.

King High School student Christian De La Vega, left, celebrates his Tom Hunt Memorial Scholarship with counselor Steven Fuller II at the Riverside Unified School District Foundation’s award presentation. (Courtesy of the Riverside Unified School District)

Educational Options Center student Wendy Mendoza-Juarez, left, and counselor Karen Wright are seen after she received a Tom Hunt Memorial Scholarship from the Riverside Unified School District Foundation. (Courtesy of the Riverside Unified School District)

From left, Riverside STEM Academy counselor Sandra Izquieta, student Ezekiel Figueroa, and Riverside Unified School District Foundation Director Knea Hawley celebrate his selection as a Tom Hunt Memorial Scholarship recipient. (Courtesy of the Riverside Unified School District)

A new scholarship from the Riverside Unified School District Foundation is named for former Riverside school board member Tom Hunt, seen in 2011. (File photo by Kurt Miller, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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King High School student Christian De La Vega, left, celebrates his Tom Hunt Memorial Scholarship with counselor Steven Fuller II at the Riverside Unified School District Foundation’s award presentation. (Courtesy of the Riverside Unified School District)

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“There are so many deserving students engaged in our CTE programs, who can benefit from this financial support as they pursue skilled trades and technical careers,” Foundation Director Knea Hawley said in the release.

Foundation officials hope to grow the amount of available scholarship dollars and expand the number of winners, the release states.

The inaugural winners include:

• Nathan Jara, Arlington High School
• Wendy Mendoza-Juarez, Educational Options Center
• Christian De La Vega, King High School
• Brenden Mercado, North High School
• Yandel Rivera, Raincross High School
• Andrew Rahner, Ramona High School
• Ezekiel Figueroa, Riverside STEM Academy
• Eddie Ascencio, Riverside Virtual School

A Poly High School student whose name was not released also won an award.