BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A former Foothill High School student is heading to his dream school after being awarded a $25,000 scholarship.
Eric Ventura was awarded the California Table Grape Scholarship after applying last October. After months of waiting, he learned he won the $25,000 award, which will be spread across his four years at UC Berkeley.
Ventura said he always knew he wanted to attend a four-year university but worried about how he would afford it. He credits the nonprofit Youth 2 Leaders with helping him and his parents navigate the process.
"I instantly thought about my parents and thought, I kind of felt relieved because I feel like it made me feel like all my hard work and efforts, like, they paid off and it just made me feel like, kind of like a stress off my chest," Ventura said.
Ventura knows what hard work looks like. His summer breaks typically included waking up early to work in the fields alongside his family.
"Past three years, I've dedicated my summers going to work with them in order to help like my mom and stuff," Ventura said.
UC Berkeley has been Ventura's dream school since he first visited on a field trip with Youth 2 Leaders.
"I stepped out the bus. Like, I instantly knew, like, I see myself here. Like, I just love the atmosphere. I loved the buildings. I loved everything about it," Ventura said.
Youth 2 Leaders played a significant role in making college feel within reach for Ventura.
"They introduced me to scholarships, financial aid, so many options that I had, and they made college feel achievable to me I feel like it's definitely through them that I'm at where I'm at right now. Like, they definitely assist to me throughout the way, like, tremendously," Ventura said.
This fall, Ventura will begin as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. He said he is eager to start this new chapter.
"Definitely excited just to be able to take this new chapter like in life and going to like a university like Berkeley. It's definitely exciting, and I look forward to like all the amazing opportunities that Berkeley has to offer," Ventura said.
Ventura is set to head to UC Berkeley in late August.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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