A Pandora-Gilboa High School graduate is headed to Harvard thanks to a $100,000 RMHC/HACER National Scholarship.
Olivia Velasquez, the 2015 PG valedictorian, is the scholarship recipient. She is the daughter of Rick and Amy Velasquez of Gilboa. She is one of only four students to receive the national scholarship.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and Jerry Lewis McDonald’s representatives presented Velasquez in a formal ceremony last week in the Ottawa McDonald’s.
The scholarship was created in 1985 to help Hispanic high school students finance their college education.
Scholarship awards range from $1,000 to $100,000. In 2008,with the support of Hispanic McDonald’s owner/operators, the RMHC/HACER National Scholarship was established.
To day the scholarship has provided $3.1 million in financial assistance to 31 students. Recipients are selected based on their academic achievement, community involvement and financial need.
