SAN FERNANDO : Young Scholars Get Big Boost Toward College

Ever since Humberto Cuentas was a baby, his mother tried to instill the idea that he should go to college. Now, the O’Melveny & Myers law firm is going to make sure that can happen.

Cuentas and seven other sixth-graders at O’Melveny Elementary School in San Fernando were each awarded $12,000 scholarships toward their college tuition.

“I am so proud. I feel like I’m floating on clouds,” beamed O’Melveny Principal Lucky Hemphill, who masterminded the scholarship program four years ago when Hemphill met with Warren Christopher and Gordon Krischer of the law firm.

Each year since the program’s inception, eight O’Melveny sixth-graders and four San Fernando High School seniors have received the $12,000 scholarships based on their test scores, academic performance and, for the elementary students, “a gut feeling the kid will be successful,” according to Hemphill.

“It started out as a tiny little table of students. Tonight, I brought 45 people on a bus,” said Hemphill as almost every one of the O’Melveny scholars gathered at a banquet Wednesday to honor this year’s recipients.

Andres Rubalcava, who is in the two-year radiology technician training program at Childrens Hospital, was among the first seniors to receive $12,000 in 1991. He was accepted into the internship after he completed his general education requirements at Cal State Northridge.

“It’s all because of O’Melveny & Myers,” said Rubalcava.

In addition to the money, each elementary student is assigned a mentor, a member of the law firm, to encourage the student to stay in school.

“We’re a resource available to them for whatever they choose it to be,” said Mark Easton, who will be Cuentas’ mentor.

“I am very excited. It will help me a lot,” said Lourdes Munoz, another O’Melveny scholar, who wants to study science or social studies and later pursue a career as a nurse or teacher.

“You put it in their minds that the scholarship program can make a difference, and it does make a difference,” said Krischer, who noted the program has so far had a 100% success rate--all recipients are still in school.

The other scholars from elementary school are Janea Daniels, Carmen Gutierrez, Francisco Lopez, Edgar Ibarra, Adrian Perez and Crystal Suniga. This year’s senior scholars are Angie Brown, Jessica Calderon, Manuel Reyes and Ernesto and Roberto Rodriguez.

The Rodriguez brothers are twins and the law firm added a scholarship so both boys could go to college.