Five Pasadena Unified High School Seniors Selected to Get Four-Year Full-Tuition College Scholarships

Five high school seniors from the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) have been awarded a four-year full-tuition scholarship from the Posse Los Angeles Foundation. These students, who were selected from a pool of 2,200 nominees, join 90 other students in the Los Angeles area who will receive the prestigious Posse Leadership Scholarship this year.

The Posse Los Angeles Foundation says it is dedicated to training diverse future leaders to address complex social problems and create a brighter future for the country. The organization’s commitment to its mission was recognized by President Barack Obama in 2010, when he honored Posse with a portion of his $1.4 million Nobel Prize award, naming the organization as one of 10 leaders in its field.

“I am thrilled to see these exceptional PUSD students receive this well-deserved recognition,” said Pasadena Unified Superintendent Brian McDonald, Ed.D. “Each of these scholars embodies the ideals that we strive for in all PUSD graduates. They are creative thinkers, effective communicators, eager to learn from and work with others, and clearly poised to become leaders of tomorrow.”

The recipient scholars will attend one of Posse LA’s nine partner colleges and universities across the nation, where they will receive a comprehensive leadership training program designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to tackle complex social problems.

This year’s scholarship recipients from PUSD join a growing number of students from the district who have been selected for Posse scholarships in recent years. These students serve as a testament to the district’s commitment to preparing its graduates for success in college and beyond, the District said in a release.

The five scholarship recipients, along with their families, school officials, and community leaders, will be honored at a special recognition ceremony later this month. The event will provide an opportunity for the community to celebrate the achievements of these outstanding students and to recognize the impact that the Posse Los Angeles Foundation is having on the lives of young people in the area.

Here’s a look at each of the honored students:

Tiffany Jasso, Blair High School

Tiffany Jasso hopes to become a cardiologist someday and her Posse scholarship will help that dream become a reality. Tiffany has made the most of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme at Blair High School, enrolling in the Health Career Academy in freshman year. She’s already earned multiple college credits by taking dual enrollment classes at both Pasadena Community College and Glendale Community College. 

She is a member of several leadership clubs including: the Sports Medicine Club, Health Occupations Students of America, Sports Medicine National Honors Society, Associated Student Body, Yearbook, and has served as manager for Cheerleading, Girl’s Basketball and Girl’s Volleyball. Currently, she is preparing to compete in the National Sports Medicine Competition. Tiffany plans to major in Biology at Pepperdine University and then attend medical school specializing in cardiology.

Minal Saldivar, Blair High School

Minal Saldivar is a candidate for the International Baccalaureate diploma from Blair High School. She has already received the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Award (2022), the State Seal of Biliteracy (2020), and has been a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) since tenth grade. Enrolled in IB and Dual Language programs since elementary school, Minal has also completed three college courses that will earn her college credit.

Some of Minal’s community service activities include: volunteering at Union Station Homeless Services and gardening for the Altadena Sheriff’s Department. She is an active member of Blair’s Associative Student Body and has served as graphic design volunteer for Blair’s annual fund. Minal has spent the last two summers working as a Pasadena Education Foundation summer youth leader, received counselor training in leadership at Camp Osito Rancho at Big Bear Lake, and participated in the ACLU’s National Advocacy Summer Program.

Minal will attend Dickinson College where she will focus on the humanities. She is interested in cultural anthropology and international studies and hopes to participate in Dickinson’s study abroad program. Eventually, she plans to seek a career in social justice. 

Christina Leyva, John Muir High School Early College Magnet

Christina Leyva is part of the Arts, Entertainment and Media Pathway Academy at John Muir High School Early College Magnet. She is also in the Puente program, and has taken several Advanced Placement (AP) courses. She has already earned approximately 30 college credits through the Early College Program at John Muir.

As a high school athlete and leader, she is involved in water polo, swimming, marching band and is the ASB secretary. 

Christina was an intern with Pasadena’s Light Bringer Project, created a podcast with local senior citizens, and participated in the College Access Plan, a nonprofit helping students succeed in college.

Christina will attend Dickinson College, where she plans to major in English and possibly double major in Humanities. She plans to pursue a career helping children as a speech language pathologist.

Estrella Barcenas, Marshall Fundamental Secondary School 

When Estrella began PUSD at Jackson STEAM Dual Language Elementary, English was not her first language. Now a senior at Marshall Fundamental, she is an eloquent leader who has literally found her voice in the Girls’ Voices Now program and is heading to Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where she plans to major in Psychology. Her Posse Award will cover tuition for four full years. 

At Marshall’s Academy for Creative Industries in the drama track, Estrella has worked as a stage tech for several performances. She became a documentary film maker in Girls’ Voices Now and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021 for “Outstanding Short Form Children’s Program.”

She is also the Associated Student Body (ASB) Class of 2023 Senior Class President. She is Co-Founder and Co-President of the Mental Health Club, in which she emphasizes the importance of self-care but she also finds time for Rock the Street, Wall Street, a financial literacy club, and the Latino Club.

Estrella is also a member of the Cal State Los Angeles Trio Upward Bound Program and participates in the College Access Plan (CAP). She has gained work experience and industry knowledge through internships at the USC Pacific Asia Museum, the Day One organization and at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures as a teen council member. As a student ambassador for the City of Pasadena and volunteer for the Tournament of Roses, Estrella remains committed to community service. 

Owen Hom, Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Owen is a scholar, an athlete and a volunteer in his community.  Currently a high school senior, Owen began his PUSD education at Don Benito Elementary and in sixth grade, he moved on to Marshall Fundamental. He currently has a 4.5 GPA and has made the Principal’s honor roll every semester.

Owen has served as the Associated Student Body Treasurer and as Member at Large. He’s a member of the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, Asian Club, Filipino Club, Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA) Club, Computer Science Club, and Key Club. In addition, he competed as an alternate for Marshall’s Science Bowl Team at JPL last year and will serve as team captain this year. As a summer intern at the Caltech Planet Finder Academy, Owen analyzed data and coding programs to identify space objects. His work there includes “fitting radial-velocity data for Vega.”

As a volunteer, Owen helped to pass out meals through the Pasadena Educational Foundation during COVID-19. He is also a volunteer with the Pasadena American Little League, and an 11-year Spanish classical guitar performer and teacher.

Owen is recognized by the College Board as AP Scholar with Honors and is a candidate for the distinguished AP Capstone Diploma for his research at Caltech and JPL entitled, “How Might Climate Change Predictions on Greenhouse Gases Worldwide Need to be Reevaluated and Refocused?”

As a student-athlete, Owen has been a four-year member of the Marshall Eagle Baseball Team, joining the varsity team as a sophomore and helping the team set records and win titles ever since. Owen will attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW) where he plans to major in Digital Science.  His Posse award will cover tuition for four full years.