Times Fund Makes Grants to 12 San Diego Graduates

The Los Angeles Times Fund has awarded $100,000 in educational grants-in-aid to 200 graduating high school seniors in Southern California, including 12 in San Diego County. The $500 grants will help the students continue their educations in the fall at trade and technical schools or colleges and universities.

The Times Fund is the charitable arm of the Los Angeles Times, and its goal is to benefit needy youth. Since 1967, the grants-in-aid program has provided grants to students who have been designated by schoolteachers or counselors as having high potential for academic success, but whose high school grade point average is 2.9 or lower. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than 6,400 grants totaling $2.5 million.

“The grants-in-aid program provides more than monetary assistance to underprivileged students. It gives them support and encouragement to pursue their drams of higher education,” said David Laventhol, publisher and chief executive officer of The Times and president of the Times Fund.

“These young people are the future of Southern California. The Times is proud to help them develop their potential as productive, contributing members of their communities.”

The grants-in-aid program and other charitable Times Fund programs are supported by the proceeds from Times-sponsored activities.

Following are San Diego’s grant recipients and their schools, all of which are in the San Diego Unified School District:

Veronica Cole (Mark Twain Junior-Senior High School).

Floyd Craig (San Diego High School).

Yordanas Gebregiorgis (Morse High School).

Douglas Hayes (Gompers Secondary School).

Soudaphone Lackkaty (Patrick Henry High School).

Laura Lopez (La Jolla High School).

Salvador Martinez (Garfield High School).

Linda Pheltalhy (Patrick Henry).

Delgadine Renteria (Garfield).

Josue Soto (Point Loma High School).

Hamid Suleiman (Mira Mesa High School).

Delicia Taylor (Garfield).