Carlsbad, California — Seventeen dedicated students were selected as Carlsbad Educational Foundation’s (CEF) 2024 scholarship recipients, receiving a total of $65,500 in awards. The highest award, a $10,000 scholarship, was given to Carlsbad High School graduate Sofia Tamayo in partnership with the Judith Campbell Educational and Community Foundation.

“I am proud to say that I am a Judith Campbell scholarship recipient, which has been life-changing,” Tamayo said. “There is less stress about the monetary factor of going to college, which has always been on my mind.”

Tamayo, a first-generation college student, will attend Harvey Mudd College to pursue a degree in engineering. During her time at Carlsbad Unified, Tamayo participated in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics program, funded by CEF through private donations and partnerships.

“Robotics gave me the confidence to say I’m capable of succeeding in STEM,” Tamayo said.

All scholarship recipients were inspired to pursue a career or higher education after participating in music, STEAM, or innovation programs funded by CEF.

Sage Creek High School graduate Rohan Soni received a $2,500 scholarship in partnership with Viasat for his seven-year participation in Science Olympiad. Soni will attend UCLA as a computer engineering major.

“Experiences like these inspired my passion for engineering and motivated me to continue practicing scientific thinking in my future career,” Soni said.

Graduating students who are college and career ready is a priority of the Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) and a key goal of CEF, which partners with the district.

“We are thrilled that our programs and these scholarships support these exceptional students in their pursuit of higher education,” said Laura Pitts, CEO of the Carlsbad Educational Foundation. “The accomplishments and dedication of these students are truly inspiring, and we believe that investing in their education will have a profound impact on their future success and positively contribute to our community.”

The partners who contributed to the CEF scholarships include the Judith Campbell Educational and Community Foundation, Viasat, The Tom Laurence Music Scholarship, and the James Brown Memorial Scholarship.

The seventeen students who demonstrated remarkable dedication and commitment to their education are named below:

• Sofia Tamayo, Carlsbad High, $10,000 Judith Campbell Educational and Community Foundation Scholarship
• Suchir Sambavaram, Sage Creek High, $7,500 Judith Campbell Educational and Community Foundation Scholarship
• Matthew Mullaney, Carlsbad High, $7,500 Judith Campbell Educational and Community Foundation Scholarship
• Chloe Norton, Carlsbad High, $5,000 CEF Scholarship
• Luke NeSmith, Sage Creek High, $3,500 The Tom Laurence Music Scholarship
• Colin Rajabi, Sage Creek High, $3,500 The Tom Laurence Music Scholarship
• Samuel Vanetsky, Carlsbad High, $3,500 The Tom Laurence Music Scholarship
• Varun Venkatesh, Carlsbad High, $2,500 Viasat Scholarship for Science Olympiad
• Rohan Soni, Sage Creek High, $2,500 Viasat Scholarship for Science Olympiad
• Alden Brion, Sage Creek High, $2,500 James Brown Memorial Scholarship
• Ella Clancy, Sage Creek High, $2,500 James Brown Memorial Scholarship

$2,500 CEF scholarship recipients include: Lucas Smith, Leila Morrow, Aundreya Gonzalez, Abigail Gehris, James Rogers, and Ryan Geraci.

CEF and their community partners congratulate all the scholarship recipients and extend their gratitude to the community members, organizations, and donors who made these scholarships possible.