Dear Joe Baca and Family,

I would like to thank you for your generosity. It is a pleasure to know that the congressman was so determined to help the youth, and you did. You helped me by providing a scholarship that I was eligible for. Thank You.

With this money that I received, I will be able to pay for college, not all of it, but most of it. With the combination of scholarships and financial aid I will be set for college. I appreciate the generosity and kindness that comes from the Baca family. It inspires me to do the same in the far future with my family. Thank you for the opportunity of being able to pay for college.

Lastly, I would like to say that is a honor to be the first group of many to receive this award. I will encourage students to apply for this scholarship and many other scholarships as well. I hope to see our generation succeed. My way of succeeding is by giving back to the community by becoming a grade school teacher. My dream is to teach students to love education because it is very valuable.

Sincerely,
Lorena Arroyo

Javier G. Alcaraz, Jr. was awarded the Joe Baca Jr. Foundation Scholarship on May 9, 2008 for his committed dedication to community building & high quality educational environments for all.

Javier G. Alcaraz, Jr. was elected by SBVC students to serve on the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees for the 2008-2009 academic year.

He is pursuing Associate of Arts Degrees in Business Administration and Graphic Arts. His intentions are to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona to obtain a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and complete his education with a Masters in Business from the University of Southern California.

Javier has served as SBVC’s Associated Student Government President for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic years. He is a committed citizen to community building, advocating for policies that will improve student access and promote student success. As a Certified Student Leader some of his successes include establishing the Textbook Rental Program at SBVC that has assisted 265 students at $20,500 in textbook savings, as well as influencing the increase in student worker wages at SBCCD from $6.50/hour to $8.00/hour. Additionally, he has lobbied US congressmen on behalf of the much needed Pell Grant increases.

He is a Regional Senator to the Student Senate for California Community Colleges where he serves as the voice of the students in matters of Region IX concern before the Board of Governors, Consultation Council & all statewide boards, committees, & ad hoc groups. Additionally, he serves as a member of the SSCCC’s Constitution & Bylaws committee.

“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think – rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.” Bill Beattie