ONTARIO — Nyssa High School’s valedictorian with a lifelong dream of studying sharks at a marine laboratory was among local women who received thousands in scholarship money from the Ontario chapter of an international nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of women.
The Ontario chapter of P.E.O. awarded over $8,000 in scholarship money to women attending college, according to a recent press release.
Sabrina Estevez, 18, graduated from Nyssa High School in June with a 4.0 grade point average. A class valedictorian, Estevez said she will attend Treasure Valley Community College before transferring to Oregon State University.
One of the first in her family to attend college, Estevez said she had applied for several scholarships when she enrolled at TVCC. She said she had initially planned to go straight to OSU, but she opted for community college, which is less expensive.
Estevez intends to work while taking four classes at TVCC and live at home, allowing her to help her mother and younger siblings.
Estevez, who comes from a single-parent home, said she knows college is expensive and the high cost of attending has been one of her struggles.
“I want to be a good role model to my younger siblings that they can go to college someday,” she said.
With men making up most of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics workforce, Estevez said she hopes to be an example to other women considering getting into science.
In 2021, the National Science Foundation reported that two-thirds of people employed in STEM were men.
Other scholarship winners:
• Easton Barlow, $3,000. Barlow is a second-year TVCC nursing student.
• Lizbeth Manriquez, $2,000. She is in her senior at Eastern Oregon University, studying elementary education.
• Asbel Tellez, $1,000. She is in her second year at TVCC, where she is studying to become a certified nursing assistant. Tellez is a 2023 Nyssa graduate.
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