Loma Prieta Club

Thanks to everyone in our community who supported the annual Loma Prieta Club Picnic and fundraiser. With your support, the Loma Prieta Club was able to award four scholarships to graduating mountain students this year. We appreciate everyone who bought raffle or luncheon tickets, made personal donations, or contributed volunteer time.

Let me tell you about these four extraordinary students whom we added to our list of 45 previous scholarship recipients. Caitriona Sullivan is a super-sharp debater, and an awesome volleyball player and coach. You may have seen her this past summer working at the drive-thru window at McDonald’s, along with everything else she had going. Caitriona is interested in economics, politics, and business management. She plans to attend the University of Surrey in England in September.

Alberto Rios Sandoval will be starting at West Valley College to complete his first two years of requirements before he transfers to a California State University. An alumnus of Lakeside Elementary School, Alberto won a special award when he graduated from C.T. English, and now leaves LGHS with a second one.

He is interested in history, business and psychology as possible majors, and he may consider a future in teaching. Helena Cramer is our first “Above and Beyond” Community Service Award recipient. She not only won the eighth- grade LPC/CTE award for community service in 2020/21, but she also logged more hours of volunteer work as a high- school student than any other applicant that we’ve ever had apply. She will be attending U.C. Santa Cruz, majoring in marine science. She and Claire Galbo, a 2024 Scholarship recipient, are both volunteers at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz. They will be missed when their college classes begin.

Kyle Eldridge is our first National Merit Finalist applicant. Kyle has a 4.45 GPA, and an all “A” and “A+” transcript with over 12 Honors and AP courses, including five in his senior year. An accomplished software programmer, he wrote most of the vision code for the LGHS Robotics Team’s competition last year. What’s extraordinarily special — and incredible — is that Kyle is legally blind.

To excel as Kyle has done compelled our committee to create a new award for him. He is our first “Scholar of Distinction.” The Loma Prieta Club is proud to support our mountain high school students. Beginning in 1997 with one $250 scholarship, we have now awarded a total of $85,250 to 49 graduates. As they say, “It takes a village.”

Thanks, village! Alberto Rios Sandoval Caitriona Sullivan and Patti Hughes From left: Kyle Eldridge, Helena Cramer, Patti Hughes, and Caitriona Sullivan