Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Program
The Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Award was established in 1993 by former chancellor Karl S. Pister to increase opportunities for talented community college students who want to transfer to UCSC. The award recognizes students who have overcome adverse socioeconomic circumstances, who have a demonstrated commitment to assisting and improving the lives of others, and who might not otherwise be able to attend UCSC for financial reasons.
Candidates are nominated by the presidents of each of the 13 regional community colleges (see list below). The nominations are reviewed by the Leadership Opportunity Awards Review Committee, and a student from each college will be nominated to receive up to $20,000 award ($10,000 awarded for two years).
Participating community colleges: Cabrillo College, Cañada College, College of San Mateo, De Anza College, Evergreen Valley College, Foothill College, Gavilan College, Hartnell College, Mission College, Monterey Peninsula College, San Jose City College, Skyline College, and West Valley College.
Pister Scholar Highlights
| Diana Hernandez (2024) - UC Santa Cruz Pister Scholar, Diana Hernandez, is a California native from Seaside, CA and began her academic journey as a new parent in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. Starting at Hartnell College, Diana juggled her studies with the responsibilities of caring for her six-month-old daughter. Upon transferring to UC Santa Cruz, Diana continued to excel academically and became actively engaged in research in the Migration, Identity, and Education Lab (MIEL). Inspired by her coursework in Latin American and Latino Studies, she made the decision to add it as a third major. Read more. |
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Diana Hernandez with
| Valery Ortiz (2023) - Valery Ortiz, who majored in biochemistry and molecular biology, is one of more than a thousand students who graduated with a B.S. from the Physical & Biological Sciences division this year. However, her achievements and experiences as a transfer student at UC Santa Cruz make her unique. In addition to receiving both the 2023 Chancellor’s Award and the divisional Dean’s Award for her senior thesis, Ortiz is also a recipient of the 2023 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) grant, supporting her graduate studies and research at the Scripps Research Institute. Ortiz transferred to UC Santa Cruz from Monterey Peninsula College. She quickly got involved in the STEM Diversity Research Programs by becoming a Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) scholar and the outreach coordinator for the UCSC SACNAS chapter. Read more. |
Valery Ortiz is a recipient of the 2023 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program grant. (Photo provided by Valery Ortiz.) |
| Pearl Ibeanusi (2022) - UC Santa Cruz Pister Scholar, Pearl Ibeanusi—a Stevenson College senior who’s double majoring in community studies and education, justice, and democracy—was one of five women selected among nationwide applicatnts to receive a scholarship award recognizing her outstanding record of community service and educational and career goals. As a mother of six, a cancer survivor, and a first-generation immigrant who came to the U.S. from Nigeria 30 years ago, Ibeanusi says financial struggles have been a constant challenge in attaining her own educational and career goals. During her time at UCSC, Ibeanusi has served on a student panel for incoming freshmen through Umoja to support the success of African, Black, and Caribbean students on campus, and in 2020, on behalf of the Community Studies Program, she attended the Facing Race national conference on racial justice. She was also selected as a 2020-2021 UC Global Health Institute student ambassador. Read more. |
UCSC student Pearl Ibeanusi hopes to pursue graduate education and envisions a public service leadership career |
| Tommy Alejandrez (2022) - UC Santa Cruz Pister Scholar Tommy Alejandrez was living on the streets when he met former NFL player Zack Follett on a busy corner in Fresno. The meeting—over a cup of coffee—sparked a friendship that would change both of their lives.
He enrolled at Cabrillo College, emailing Follett to tell him he was sober and pursuing a degree. Follett sent him a laptop to help him with his studies. While at Cabrillo, where he earned a 4.0 GPA, Alejandrez discovered a program called Underground Scholars. It helps the formerly incarcerated or those affected by the carceral system find success in higher education. The program inspired him to apply to several UC campuses, and he was accepted by UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz. He chose Santa Cruz, which not only offered him the prestigious Pister Scholarship but also housing where he could take care of his father, who was ill. Read more. |
Tommy Alejandrez, once homeless, won a $20,000 Karl Pister Leadership Opportunity Award at UC Santa Cruz. (Photo by Carolyn Lagattuta) |
Questions?
Contact: ur_hnrs@ucsc.edu
