Scholarship Program Supports Agricultural Workers & Their Families
Napa Valley, July 16, 2024 — Ag Health Benefits Alliance (AHBA) is pleased to announce it has awarded $48,000 in grants to this year’s recipients of its scholarship program, the AHBA Educational Foundation, LLC. The program offers scholarship grant opportunities for AHBA Member Employers’ eligible employee plan participants, their spouses, and children or grandchildren.
In the five short years since its formation, the AHBA Educational Foundation has awarded over $180,000 in scholarships to almost 60 applicants. Michael Wolf, an AHBA board member and founder, says “When we started this program, I really didn’t have a full understanding of the impact that we could have. Seeing the caliber of young people coming from our agricultural community and being able to help them achieve their educational goals is more gratifying than I could have imagined. What’s even better is that it feels like this journey is just beginning.”
This year’s award winners are:
Berenize Marcelo Amezcua
UC Santa Cruz
Education/Justice
Jazmin Ortiz Ayala
Solano Community College
Business Admin, Human Resources
Arleth Bautista Bernal
Cal Poly
Plant Science
Ana Cisneros
UC Davis
Psychology/Chicano Studies
Cooper Dodd
Napa Valley College
Pilot, Astronaut
Cristian Flores
Sonoma State
Psychology
Diego Guerrero
Sacramento State
Mechanical Engineer
Ariatna Navarrete Gonzalez
UC Berkeley
Integrative Biology
Vanessa Guzman
Sacramento State
Psychology
Lizbeth Hernandez
Clark University
Business
Lyzet Montanez Hurtado
Stanford University
Political Science
Linda Maciel Nunez
Sonoma State
English
Justice Penterman
UC Berkeley
Chemical Biology
Jasmin Miranda Perez
Napa Valley College
Nursing
Jacqueline Ramirez
Napa Valley College
Biology
Breanna Tyler
Santa Rosa Junior College
Graphic Arts
Andrea Villasenor
UC Davis
Viticulture & Enology
“Congratulations to this year’s awardees!” says Foundation President, Rebecca Barlow. “We are especially pleased to grant second-year awards to Arleth, Cristian, Diego and Lizbeth. It is exciting to follow their progress and see them achieve their educational goals. This is the largest number of grants we have awarded in any year to date—the future is bright!”
About Ag Health Benefits Alliance
Ag Health Benefits Alliance (AHBA) has been providing affordable health insurance and other benefits to agricultural employees in Northern California since its founding as the California Winegrower Foundation in 1972. Started by a group of forward-thinking winegrape growers who shared a common goal of improving working conditions, AHBA is a non-profit member organization that supports both employers and employees. AHBA’s members were dedicated to providing health benefits for employees, including seasonal workers, long before required by law. Today, AHBA provides those benefits to more than 1,500 agricultural employees.
