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- Written by: Mendocino College Foundation
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino College Foundation is honored to announce the winners of the 2019 La Rue Kobrin Perpetual Scholarships.
Scholarship were awarded to Dominica Chilberg, Jonathan Escalante, Jillian Koski and Sarah Reeser.
All four nursing students have high grade point averages, had different goals and careers in their teenage years, and are residents of Ukiah, Fort Bragg and Willits.
They are finishing up their first year in the nursing program. All had similar things to say about how receiving a scholarship aids them in achieving their goal of becoming a nurse.
Scholarships pay for books, tuition, fuel, new tires, and more according to these four.
When asked what the pivotal moment was that led each of them into their chosen career, the responses were somewhat similar and a little surprising.
Escalante stated that witnessing a choking incident and watching the medical provider take care of the person left him feeling like it was magic. That incident would lead him to a career as an EMT, ER Tech, and now the nursing program.
Reeser decided to become a nurse because a beloved grandfather fell ill. “The first time he got sick, I was only 10 years old.”
She stated she remembers thinking “I just wanted him to feel better and be happy again.” She told him that she would become a nurse and she’s currently half way there.
Koski was raised in Fort Bragg and commutes to Ukiah five days a week for nursing school. She too, witnessed an event. A woman hit her head and she was the only one present and just instinctually jumped in to help her. “I knew immediately that I wanted to be a nurse,” Koski said.
Chilberg never wanted to be a nurse. She was happy being a wife and mother. However, her career as a receptionist at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley led her to the OB as a tech (doing c-sections) for the past 17 years, which eventually led her into the nursing program.
All four recipients have other things in common, like families, responsibilities for spouses, children and parents. Some have mortgages or rent, and they all struggle financially while going to school full time five days a week. On average, a nursing students’ income drops by 40 percent or more while attending the nursing program and receiving a scholarship makes all the difference.
The La Rue Kobrin perpetual scholarships are given out annually to four first year nursing students.
The fund was established in 2014 by her life partner, Frank Bender, to honor and remember her. In his own words, La Rue was a loving, caring and giving human being. Helping students become nurses is a perfect way to honor her life.
For more information about the Mendocino College Foundation or to donate towards any Mendocino College Foundation program, please contact Katie Fairbairn, executive director at
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- Written by: Lake County Republican Women Federated
The Lake County Republican Women Federated, or LCRWF, as a member of the North West Division, California Republican Women Federated, or CRWF, is offering that opportunity to all Lake County 11th grade students by inviting their participating in an essay contest. Here is the information.
It is an Americanism essay contest open to all 11th grade students.
The topic is, “In my opinion, what it means to be an American patriot.” The essay is to be 600 words or less. The topic is designated by the CRWF Americanism contest chair, Juli Mitchell.
The contest cover sheet must include only: name, address, email, phone number, school name and the name of the Lake County organization sponsoring the contest, which is “Lake County Republican Women Federated.” The essay contest deadline is June 1.
The chapter Americanism Committee will judge the entries in their county, honor the student locally, and forward the winning essay to the division office, where essays will again be judged.
The Lake County winner will be honored at a chapter meeting where the student will receive an award of $100 and the essay will be forwarded to the division.
The division winner will be recognized at a conference or convention at a latter date and may receive a monetary or other award.
Students should mail their entries to Lake County Republican Women Federated, Americanism Essay Contest, P.O. Box 1566, Clearlake, CA, 95422, to arrive no later than June 1.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The bill prohibits postsecondary schools from withholding transcripts from students who owe the schools a debt.
The bill, which ensures that students are not handcuffed in pursuing educational and career opportunities by the practices of certain schools and colleges, will now be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
“Students with debt are currently in a Catch-22. They can’t access their transcripts if they have school debt, which limits opportunities that would help them address the debt,” said Attorney General Becerra. “We are grateful to Assemblymember Rivas for introducing AB 1313 to help protect students from unfair debt collection practices. No one should be denied a chance to move forward simply because of their financial situation.”
“I am proud to author AB 1313 and take on this social justice issue and I want to thank Attorney General Becerra for working with me on this measure. According to a 2016 survey conducted by Los Angeles Community College, data shows that of the 5,925 students surveyed, 19% of students are homeless, 55 percent are housing insecure, and 62.7% of students are experiencing food insecurity. These are issues that students across the state are grappling with and the students who accrue debt are often individuals who are already experiencing financial difficulty,” said Assemblymember Luz Rivas. “A student’s future should not be held hostage by their colleges; this measure preserves the idea that students deserve the opportunity to succeed.”
Current educational policy allows schools to withhold transcripts to collect debt. However, California is beginning to move away from this practice.
Last year, California passed AB 1974, which prohibits K-12 public and charter schools from withholding grades or transcripts from students because they owe a debt. AB 1313 would extend this prohibition to postsecondary schools and also prevent them from conditioning the provision of a transcript on the payment of a debt.
Postsecondary schools would also be prohibited from charging a higher fee or providing a less favorable treatment of a request for a transcript simply because the student owes a debt.
This legislation was prompted by investigations conducted by the California Department of Justice which unveiled instances where schools and colleges have threatened to withhold transcripts from students who owe, or are alleged to owe, debt as a tactic to collect this money. In 2015, the for-profit Heald College collapsed and forced many students to transfer or find alternatives.
However, the students were told they would be unable to obtain transcripts needed to transfer to other schools until they paid off the debt allegedly owed to Heald.
As a result, many students were unable to transfer to another school to complete their education, and instead were left with limited options.
Withholding transcripts causes severe hardships for students because a transcript is often required to secure a job, transfer or apply to another school, or obtain certain licenses.
A copy of the bill can be found here.
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- Written by: Caltrans
The scholarships are competitive and based upon the applicant's commitment to a career in transportation, academic record, and participation in extracurricular or community-related activities.
Financial need will serve as a higher priority when determining the winner of one of the scholarships.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
– Must be a high school senior or first or second-year college student from or residing in Humboldt, Del Norte, Lake or Mendocino County.
– Must plan to pursue a career in transportation.
– Must attend or be accepted to a California University or institution.
– Must provide an official transcript to verify grade point average.
– Must provide a description of participation in extra-curricular and/or community-related activities.
– Letters of recommendation will be considered.
Applications must be postmarked by Friday, May 10.
The application is available at http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist1/scholarship.htm.
For questions regarding the scholarship or for applications, contact Cori Reed, public information officer at 707-441-4678 or