Latino Scholars Pass With Honors

In the time I met Margarito Avila and Juan Jose Martinez, I didn’t have a chance to get to know them. But I wanted to.

They are two members of the 1991 graduating class of Capistrano Valley High School, and that in itself is an accomplishment. The two graduates, by way of introduction, are Latino. More specifically, they are Mexican.

What makes them unique is that Avila and Martinez are not from the upper-class neighborhoods where many of their classmates live. They’re from a barrio close to the Amtrak station in San Juan Capistrano--and they are success stories.

More than a year ago the nearby community of San Clemente reported one of its first gang-related homicides. Sadly, it followed the shooting of a 4-year-old girl, who was accidentally wounded during a drive-by shooting while she stood on a balcony.

In a story in March, I highlighted two gangs in the area while looking at how Latino gangs emerge.

A reader, it turns out, saw that story and wanted to do something, to make a difference. This reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, donated $3,000 for six $500 scholarships at Dana Hills, Capistrano Valley and San Clemente high schools. She wanted the recipients to be Latino, have attained some academic success, and be people who would benefit from a scholarship. In addition, if the recipients maintained a 2.5 grade-point average, they could receive another $500 the next year.

The reader named the award the Allen Dean Memorial Scholarship after a nephew who died at an early age. Originally, she wanted to call it the “Second Chance scholarship.” Allen Dean’s aunt wanted his memory to be rekindled--have a second chance--by helping a deserving Latino.

It was the school’s first scholarship specifically for Latino students, said Pat Bathgate, chairwoman of the Capistrano Valley Scholarship Fund Assn.

I was invited to present this award at an evening function for the graduating class at Capistrano Valley High School. It was a long wait. The Class of 1991 had set some awesome standards. There were recipients of prestigious UC

Regents scholarships, National Merit commendations and also nominations to the Air Force and Naval academies. In addition, 68 students posted grade point averages of 3.5 and above.

Martinez and Avila had been running with a tough crowd--students with a push to excel. I told the audience that these two young men had all the opportunity to get into trouble in their neighborhoods, but chose another path.

Which is why they were selected as the two Allen Dean award winners.

Avila, 18, a shy young man, posted a 3.5 grade-point average. He is active in his church and won a good citizenship award, all while working part time in a warehouse.

Asked to write about himself, Avila said: “I’m not afraid of the obstacles I might need to overcome because I think no one should give up once they set a goal.”

Then it was time to introduce Martinez, 18.

Martinez’s father is a soldier with the Mexican army, I told the audience. “He couldn’t be with us tonight. In fact, Juan’s entire immediate family is in Mexico.”

When the judges read Martinez’s essay, they cried, said Bathgate. “Never were we ever so inspired!”

Martinez’s essay stated: “As a Mexican, I have a different culture and language, overcoming these wasn’t easy. But little by little, I am learning. I have had to adapt myself to the American way of life. Everything I earned made it possible without support of a family. You see, I am here alone. Because I’m self-supporting, I can’t afford college expenses.”

He received a standing ovation.