This story appeared in the latest print edition of City Times.

San Diego City College awarded over $366,000 to City students at the 31st annual scholarship awards ceremony.

The theme of Tuesday’s event was “I Am Resilient,” and was meant to honor “students’ drive to stay motivated and optimistic,” even as the “community continues to face challenging times,” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ceremony’s program.

The awards ranged from aid for students enrolled in specific programs like nursing and cosmetology to ones for students transferring to 4-year-universities and even scholarships for former foster youth and LGBTQ+ students.

Student Jeanette Mayo Gallegos received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke scholarship worth $55,000.

Attending the ceremony were a wide range of City and San Diego Community College District administration and faculty, including SDCCD Chancellor Carlos Cortez and City president Ricky Shabazz.

City Times editor awarded full-ride scholarship to USC master’s program

City Times news editor Philip Salata was awarded a full-ride scholarship to the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The scholarship, worth around $100,000, will allow Salata to exit USC’s journalism master’s program without accumulating more student loan debt.

It’s a high honor for the multimedia journalist, whose first experience in journalism began at City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The mentorship I got at City Times helped me give shape to my passion and amplified my drive,” Salata said, “but still, the news of the scholarship was simply shocking.”