By: Madeline Alvarez
Last weekend, Pedro Campos was given the opportunity to possibly be awarded with the California Scholarship Federation Seymour Scholarship in Merced, Ca.
Multiple students were nominated from different schools from our area; if they were chosen they then participated in a group interview that was presented in front of a panel. Pedro was nominated by the El Diamante CSF advisor Mrs. McKernan and was chosen to take part in the interviews. Being chosen also came with a guaranteed $2,000 scholarship. After the interview in front of the panelists, Seymour candidates had an opportunity to be awarded with another $3,000 making it a total of a $5,000 scholarship.
Photo: Mrs. McKernan
The interview took place in Merced where Campos-Reyes was able to meet his counterparts from other schools. Going into the interviews Pedro claims that was a little nervous and he didn’t really know what to expect. After the interviews took place Pedro says he ended up enjoying it as well as meeting the other students.
Campos-Reyes says, “Engaging in four rounds of conversation left me inspired with more motivation than ever before. I was honored to be among the best of the best.”
Campos-Reyes adds that after being together all day they had all established a friendship as CSF Seymour finalists. Because of this Pedro says that he realized he didn’t really care about winning the money and he would be happy if any of the other students won because they deserved it. Unfortunately, Pedro didn’t end up winning the $5,000 scholarship, but he shared that “the people that I met there were even more amazing than the $5,000.”
McKernan shares that they nominate students based on their community service, grades, and their overall contribution to the school and community. She also says that they choose students who have gone in depth on a certain area of volunteering or students who have ideas to share with others.
McKernan states “I’m super proud that Pedro was chosen as a Seymour candidate and I am not surprised because he presents himself well, but he also has the evidence, the volunteer hours, and the expertise to back it up.”
She says that he is an overall great candidate and a great influence on the people around him.
Campos-Reyes is extremely grateful to CSF for providing him with opportunities and scholarships that other clubs at school aren’t able to offer. He says, “I want to thank the people who nominated me, Mrs. McKernan and Mrs. Perez, for this opportunity. I hope to keep on striving for success and [inspiring] others along the way.”