Sustain Our Future Foundation Awards $50,000 in Scholarships to Kern County California Students in Honor of Dolores Huerta
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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April 23, 2026
Kern County, CA — Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF) today announced the recipients of its Kern County, California Sustainable Justice Scholarships, awarding a total of $50,000 to eight students pursuing studies in environmental science, engineering, biology, and related fields. The scholarships are awarded in honor of civil rights leader and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, recognizing her legacy in advancing economic, environmental, and social justice across California’s Central Valley.
This scholarship initiative is part of a broader community benefit collaboration through the creation of a local AES solar energy and battery storage project. Together, SOFF and local partners worked to design and implement a selection process grounded in community priorities, ensuring that investments directly support local students and future leaders.
The scholarships aim to expand access to education and career pathways in sustainability, environment, and social justice fields, particularly for students from communities most impacted by environmental and economic transitions in the region.
The Sustainable Justice Scholarship Awardees:
Arely Y. Ortiz Martinez — Bakersfield College, Environmental Science
Lucy Rodriguez — Bakersfield College, Biology
Edna Yulissa Ramirez Marin — Bakersfield College, Mechanical Engineering
TJ Moreno — California State University, Bakersfield, Biology (Wildlife & Freshwater Ecology)
Cassidy Alteparmakian — California State University, Bakersfield, Biology
Lorena Gonzalez — Taft College, Engineering
Karynna Perez Loera — Bakersfield College (recent transfer to California State University, Bakersfield), Mathematics
Miguel Angel Jara Madrigal — Bakersfield College, Electrical and Solar Engineering
For more information about the Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellowship Program or to support Sustain Our Future Foundation’s mission, please visitsustainourfuture.orgor contact Naadiya Hutchinson at naadiya@sustainourfuture.org.
About Sustain Our Future Foundation
Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF) is a national not-for-profit organization that collaborates with corporate sustainability teams to de-risk and deepen the impact of sustainable infrastructure projects by ensuring that local communities' priorities are part of the planning, siting, and development phases of these projects. Our goal is to raise the standard of sustainable development to promote economic development, community partnership, local self-determination, and environmental health for all communities.