The Cerritos College Foundation recently rewarded two of Cerritos College’s graduates with a $250 Pepsi Scholarship for their outstanding work in the area of the arts programs. Isabel Ramirez (photography major) and Christopher Alvarado (theatre major) were the recipients of these faculty-selected awards.
“Students are selected by a panel of faculty based on their GPA, performance, and contributions to the department,” said Dr. Barry Russell, the instructional dean of fine arts and communications.
The scholarship was established by the Pepsi Bottling Group to further their relationship with Cerritos College. Giving scholarship money to the Foundation allows Pepsi to further support education and student success.
“I was very flattered, excited, happy, honored; I cried to tell you the truth,” said Ramirez, a La Mirada resident. “It came at a right time. There are so many starving artist out there, working the nine to five. And I was able to invest the money into my living expenses so I can keep working on photography without having to worry about how I will take care of myself.”
Alvarado had an equally positive reaction, saying he was “surprised, but really flattered” when informed of his scholarship. He plans to continue pursuing his dream of acting and hopes to remain involved in theatre long term.
Ramirez also has plans to excel in all areas of photography ranging from journalism to documentary and possibly even something film related.
“I want to travel and see everything, I know that photography will help me to do this,” she expressed.
Alvarado’s feelings toward the Theatre Department at Cerritos College are positive. “I loved the theatre department [at Cerritos]. The staff and the students all became like family.” Spending that much time together allows everyone involved to build a close relationship.”
Similar to Alvarado, Ramirez also felt her time spent in the College’s Photography Department was beneficial in developing new skills as well as building close relationships with the faculty.
“I shared my dreams with them; they respected them and pushed me to try harder to reach my goals. I built a relationship with Mike [Coppenger, chairman of photography department] who was like a teacher/mentor/guide/friend.”
