This summer, Pasadena Community Foundation has one more reason to be proud of its PCF Scholars Program. Christian Dimayuga – who was selected for PCF Scholars last September and is now a rising sophomore at Pasadena City College (PCC) – was chosen to participate in a 10-week WAVE Fellows Program at Caltech this summer. PCF provided funding for Christian’s room, board, and program materials.
Caltech’s WAVE Fellows program aims to foster diversity by increasing the participation of underrepresented students in science and engineering. Undergraduate students are paired with a graduate student and/or faculty mentor to define and develop a research project in a scientific area that interests them. Fellows can attend weekly seminars by Caltech faculty & JPL scientists and engineers, writing workshops, student-faculty dinners, and a series of classes that help them explore a research career and understand the graduate school admissions process.
Christian, who was raised by his single mom, graduated from Marshall Fundamental High School in 2022 and hopes to become a research scientist. At Caltech, he chose to pursue research within the Center for Environmental Microbial Interactions (CEMI) and is exploring the area of limb regeneration.
PCF staff members Jeannine and Sarah visited Christian near the end of his fellowship in late August and got to tour his laboratory and research spaces. Christian was clearly comfortable with his work and showed us how he amputates the legs of fruit flies to better understand how organisms can regenerate limbs.
“Being here is a dream. This opportunity would not have been possible without Pasadena Community Foundation. They were really vital in me being here. I want to go to Caltech for grad school and continue on doing this line of work and eventually be a research scientist. So I am really happy that PCF could help make that dream happen.”
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Although 2021 was a tough year for many students throughout the country, it ended with an uplifting Holiday Celebration for the students enrolled in the PCF Scholars Program, which assists graduates from PUSD high schools meet their educational goals at Pasadena City College (PCC). In its three years, the PCF Scholars Program has grown to […]
Summer is over, and just like proud parents, Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is cheering our PCF Scholars as they begin their schoolyear at Pasadena City College (PCC). PCF Scholars is an innovative education grant program launched in 2019 by PCF in response to national data that shows dropout rates are very high at community colleges, […]
A festive backyard ice cream social on a recent warm Sunday afternoon was the setting for the College Women’s Club (CWC) Spring Scholars Ceremony. The event honored 14 local young women who are the 2022 recipients of fellowships and scholarships awarded by CWC in partnership with Pasadena Community Foundation. The scholarships ensure continued assistance to […]
Although 2021 was a tough year for many students throughout the country, it ended with an uplifting Holiday Celebration for the students enrolled in the PCF Scholars Program, which assists graduates from PUSD high schools meet their educational goals at Pasadena City College (PCC). In its three years, the PCF Scholars Program has grown to […]
Summer is over, and just like proud parents, Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is cheering our PCF Scholars as they begin their schoolyear at Pasadena City College (PCC). PCF Scholars is an innovative education grant program launched in 2019 by PCF in response to national data that shows dropout rates are very high at community colleges, […]
A festive backyard ice cream social on a recent warm Sunday afternoon was the setting for the College Women’s Club (CWC) Spring Scholars Ceremony. The event honored 14 local young women who are the 2022 recipients of fellowships and scholarships awarded by CWC in partnership with Pasadena Community Foundation. The scholarships ensure continued assistance to […]
