Scholarship Awards

The English Division announces our 2020 scholarship recipients with excitement, and we offer congratulations to our awardees. This year we awarded over $7,000 to our top students in honor of their work and commitment to studying English composition and English literature. Below are pictures and short biographies for scholarship recipients and English honors students.

Cristian Artiga is the recipient for the Huang Future Teachers Scholarship. Cristian is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and has plans of transferring to the University of California, Irvine in Fall 2020. Having earned Honors for Superior Achievement in English in 2019 and working as a teaching assistant for Prof. James Click, Cristian continues to show a dedication in becoming a professor and teaching English at a collegiate level. Cristian would like to thank Prof. James Click and Prof. John Davis for encouraging him to continue studying English and inspiring him to dream and create goals once thought long gone in his life journey. Away from school, Cristian enjoys reading, writing, exploring, and raising puppies. He has recently been gifted and become the owner of a young German shepherd pup named Rex and is hanging in there through these tough times.

Cecilia Elena Bachmann is the recipient for the Mary Alice Fox Scholarship 2020. Cecilia is majoring in Linguistics at Pasadena City College and has plans to transfer in Spring 2021 to continue her education at a 4-year university. Holding a board member position for the Formerly Incarcerated Radical Scholars (FIRST) team and being a part of the Community Overcoming Recidivism through Education (CORE) Program, she contributes to our diverse PCC Community by organizing events and creating safe spaces. Cecilia would like to thank Professor Daniel Staylor, Professor Kristin Kaz and Dr. Kirsten Ogden for believing in her educational journey and passion apart from the challenges she has overcome the past years. Besides being a scholar at Pasadena City College, Cecilia is an advocate for the prison-to-school pipeline, where in her free time she advocates and teaches introduction to college classes in correctional institutions to give back the same opportunities that were given her when enrolling at PCC.

Catherine de la O is the recipient of the ​Ray P. Davis Scholarship. Catherine is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and has plans of transferring to University of California, Los Angeles in Fall 2020. A past member of Reading Partners as well as the Chicano Studies club, Catherine has always been interested in helping others achieve their highest educational potential, whether it be by participating in one-on-one tutoring sessions with elementary school students or creating a safe environment for her peers to express their thoughts and opinions on relevant issues. Catherine would like to thank Prof. Eddie Galvan and Prof. Jennifer Garson for supporting and encouraging her to be the best student she could possibly be. Outside of school, Catherine spends her time reading, writing, baking, and skating. Just last week, she learned how to make red velvet cupcakes!

Kirk Richard C. Dolar is the recipient of the Marion Murphy Scholarship. Kirk is majoring in Environmental Science at Pasadena City College and has plans of transferring to the University of California, Santa Cruz, in fall 2021. He has just recently been accepted into the BUILD PODER internship program for fall 2020. As the former secretary of the Honors Club and a member of the Honors Program, Kirk continues to be an involved student at PCC. Kirk would like to thank Professor Trisha Herrera for guiding him to success as an English student and encouraging him to pursue his passion in Environmental Science. Away from school Kirk enjoys playing competitive volleyball, lifting weights, hiking, swimming at the beach and working with youth. He is currently studying hard during quarantine.

Erik Elizalde is the recipient of the Richard Scott Handley Memorial Award. Erik is a student at PCC majoring in Communications. He would like to thank his many professors from the English, Art, and Engineering departments, who have all have been extremely helpful. Erik works as an apprentice at a fabrication shop, and he is currently learning After Effects to create short animations.

Randy Erickson is the recipient of the Honors Superior Achievement in English. Randy is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and will be transferring to Cal State University Long Beach in the Fall of 2020 where his major will be Rhetoric and Composition. He has worked in the Pathways center for the last 4 semesters and last fall he also worked as an English tutor. Randy would like to thank Prof. Akilah Brown and Prof. Simona Supekar for their challenging classes and amazing instruction. In his free time Randy enjoys writing, weight-lifting, and discovering new food.

Miró Myung Justad is the recipient for the Scholarship in Honor of Retired English Faculty. Miró is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and has plans of transferring to a UC school, in fall 2021. Having returned back to school after playing in a band full time for the past seven years, Miró continues to pursue her love of knowledge and curiosity by working at the Writing Success Center and by being a part of the Honors Program. It has become important for Miró to find a place in this world where she can not only engage in meaningful conversations with her peers, but also represent the voices of female/female-identifying minorities in the scholarly community. Miró would like to thank Professor Staylor, Professor Marheine, Dr. Walter, and Giselle L. Miralles for being sources of academic inspiration and resources for furthering her education since arriving at Pasadena City College. Away from school, Miró enjoys creative writing, making music, and sharing meals with her friends and her two older sisters. These days she has been dreaming of writing a novel about the unexpected family members we pick up along our journey and why we choose to adopt them into our lives.

Victoria Nea is the recipient for the Jane S. Long Memorial Award. Transferring from Pasadena City College, Victoria will attend the University of California, Berkeley in Fall 2020 as an English major. She was President of the Honors Club and an on-campus writing tutor who also participated in the Honors Transfer Council of California Research Conference. She served as a teaching assistant for Dr. Underwood, who inspired her academic pursuits in English through transformative mentorship. She also wants to thank Dr. Bronstein for her thought-provoking coursework and unwavering support. In her free time, Victoria enjoys reading, journaling, picnicking, video editing, and exploring national parks.

Frankie Portillo was awarded the John Q. Copeland Memorial Award. Frankie is a Psychology Major and plans on transferring to Cal State LA in Fall 2020 as a Forensic Psychology major. Frankie participates several student clubs: The Haunting Hour, The Improv Club, Formerly Incarcerated Radical Scholars Team and Community Overcoming Recidivism through Education (CORE). Frankie thanks Dr. Anthony Francoso for supporting her in Crime and Society classes as well as motivating her to get more involved on campus. In addition, she thanks Prof. Akilah Brown for instilling strong reading routines into her academic and personal life, resulting in a strong life skill. Prof. Brown’s lessons including enthusiasm, ambition, and determination have been deeply important. In her free time, Frankie enjoys kickboxing and skateboarding.

Baylie Raddon is the recipient for the Honors for Superior Achievement Award and the Richard Scott Handley Memorial Award. Baylie is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and will transfer to UC Berkeley in Fall 2020. She tutors at the Writing Support and Math Success Centers, and she has been an embedded tutor/TA for multiple classes. Along with her friend, Esther, Baylie co-founded the Poet Writes Society, of which she is currently the president. Baylie was awarded the Editor’s Prize for Poetry in 2019. She would like to thank Dr. Walter for her sage advice during Baylie’s first few semesters and Prof. Adler for his willingness to be the poetry club advisor and his general poetic support. Both provided their honest feedback which helped Baylie to become a better academic and creative writer. She would also like to thank all the faculty and staff of the Writing Support Center for creating a supportive environment, but especially the director, Prof. Lee, who is always positive and encouraging. In her free time, Baylie enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, and swimming. She is currently polishing up her first poetry collection, which she started writing during independent study at PCC.

Kate Russell is the recipient for the Hanvey Scholarship for Excellence in English. Kate is majoring in English and will be transferring to Cal State University Northridge for Fall of 2020. Kate plans to earn a B.A. in English-English Subject Matter and her teaching credential. She hopes to become a high school English teacher. Kate would like to thank Prof. Bryan Gonzalez, Prof. Brian Adler, Prof. Yuliana Samson, Prof. Juan Mendoza, and Prof. Roger Marheine for engaging her love of literature, and she hopes to make them proud by becoming the best teacher that she can be. Away from school, Kate enjoys reading, writing, Bible journaling, and participating in her church youth group.

Evan Sakuma is the recipient of the Robert Browning Memorial Award. Evan is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and plans to transfer to UCLA in fall 2020. Evan is an active member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society as well as a participant in PCC's Honors Program. He was also the recipient of the Ray P. Davis award in Spring 2019. Evan would like to thank Professor Bryan Gonzalez, Professor Amy Tahani-Bidmeshki, Professor Yuliana Samson, and Dr. Dootsdeemalachanok Thongthiraj for continuing to foster his passion for learning. Many of these educators helped to guide Evan through his work on queer Asians in Los Angeles in the 1980's- a subsection of history Evan plans to continue researching post-transfer. Aside from academics, Evan enjoys giving back to his community by being a dance coach and musical choreographer for Mark Keppel High School. He also likes getting involved with community politics by attending city council meetings and assisting in campaigns to oust immoral politicians. During this most recent era of COVID-19, Evan has shown how much he cares for his community by sewing masks for local hospitals; he knows that you are also a caring individual who will ALWAYS wear masks outside as a sign of solidarity :)

Victor Zhang is the recipient for the Susan Isabel Frazee Award. Victor is majoring in engineering and will be transferring to UCLA in fall 2020 while graduating from PCC with five associate's degrees. Having earned the CAPE Legacy Scholarship for Leadership in 2019 and working as a tutor in the Math Success Center on campus, Victor continues to demonstrate leadership abilities and the willingness to help others. Victor would like to thank Prof. Otilio Perales and Prof. Paige Wilson for helping him excel in college level writing and developing interests in writing fiction, poetry and drama. Away from school, Victor is involved in his church community. He also enjoys reading, skateboarding, and playing piano. 

Julia Anderson is a 2020 recipient of the Honors Superior Achievement in English Award. Julia is an English major at Pasadena City College and will be transferring to Cal State LA in fall 2020. Reflecting on her time at Pasadena City College, Julia would like to thank not just the wonderful English department professors, but all of the dedicated professors who have made her time at Pasadena City College so rewarding. When she’s not reading for school, Julia is usually reading for fun.

Summer Brotman is the recipient for the Honors Superior Achievement in English. She studies English at Pasadena City College and is transferring to the University of California Los Angeles in Fall 2020, possibly to pursue a career in creative writing with the Disney Corporation or to practice law. In her spare time, Summer finds time to tutor others to help them find their voice through writing. Summer would like to thank the English Division professors for not only pushing her to develop a writing style that strong and critical. She believes this has supported her academic career, and she is very grateful for the skills learned in her English classes.

Frances Guzman is the recipient for the Honors Superior Achievement in English. Frances is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and is transferring to University of California, Los Angeles in fall 2020. Having earned the Huang Future Teachers Scholarship, the Robert Westerbeck’s Scholarship for the Reviewer’s Choice Runner-Up in 2019, and holding the position of President in the Queer Alliance Club, Frances continues to demonstrate excellence in scholarship, academics, and college leadership and success. Frances would like to thank all of her English and Creative Writing professors at PCC including Paige Wilson, Dr. Allison Parker, Donna Mungen, Yuliana Samson, Daniel Staylor, Kristin Kaz, Manuel Perea, and Dr. Dustin Hanvey. Her experience as an English major at PCC has been heightened by the bonds created within the English department between students and faculty alike. Away from school, Frances enjoys journaling, writing poetry, and continuing her studies of American Sign Language. She wants to thank PCC for being her second home and for giving her the opportunity to create a second family full of professors, club advisors, and new friends. 

Sofya Harutyunyan is the recipient for the Honors Superior Achievement in English Award. Sofya is majoring in English at Pasadena City College and has plans of transferring to University of California, Santa Barbara in fall 2020. While being passionate about literature and creative thinking and analysis, Sofya’s future plans include attending law school and practicing law. Tutoring students interested in Russian and being involved in campus clubs such as Armenian Student Association have also been a part of her academic career throughout the two years in Pasadena City College. Sofya would like to thank Dr. Krista Walter, Dr. Debra Bronstein and Prof. Daniel Staylor for the continuous support and encouragement while studying English. Aside from school, Sofya enjoys watching movies, cooking, and finding small and cozy coffee shops in Los Angeles.

Laurel Hogue is the recipient for the Honors Superior Achievement in English Award. Laurel is majoring in English at Pasadena College and plans to transfer to transfer to Eastern Washington University in Fall 2020. Having earned the Jane S. Long Scholarship and worked as a tutor in PCC’s Writing Support Center in 2019, Laurel continues to foster her love of writing and teaching with her efforts to become a high school English teacher. Laurel would like to thank her English professors Brian Adler, Dr. Allison Parker, Yuliana Samson for their support during her final semester at PCC, and Laurel has special thanks for Daniel Meier for his assistance and guidance in becoming a tutor and scholarship recipient in 2019. All of their teaching styles, methods of writing and interpreting literature will surely be adopted in her future classrooms as she credits their words as a source for ideal teaching. Outside of school, Laurel enjoys reading, embroidering, camping, and going on adventures with her husband Lincoln, daughter Zelda, and son Byron.

Cassandra Wilson is the recipient of the Honors Extraordinary Achievement in English. Cassandra is majoring in English and plans to transfer to Cal State L.A. in Fall 2021. Cassandra was awarded The Richard Scott Handley Award in 2019 and was Blog Editor for Pasadena City College’s Inscape Magazine from Fall 2018 to Spring 2019. Cassandra would like to thank Dr. Kristen Ogden and Professor Supekar for continuing to inspire and encourage her to indulge in literary analysis and creative writing in English while facing challenges in her academic journey. In her personal life, Cassandra enjoys playing volleyball, painting, and reading and writing creative non-fiction. She recently has been writing short stories and exploring fiction writing.