2010 Don Diego Fund Scholarship Winners
Emily Cary, $5,000 FFA Scholarship.  Emily, of Alpine is graduating from El Capitan High School, where she has maintained a 4.6 GPA and is graduating seventh in her class of 447. As a pole vaulter with many interests, accolades and great determination, Emily is certain to vault to the top at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she plans to major in Animal Science and then matriculate at the University of California Davis to earn a degree in Veterinary Medicine. “I have wanted to be a vet since I can remember,” confides Emily, who has been a participant and a leader in FFA for four years and in 4-H for nine.	Kevin Brice, $5,000 Employee Scholarship. Kevin is a force to be reckoned with, whether teaching blind people how to surf, transforming his Carlsbad family home into a haunted house at Halloween, operating the DJ business he began as a young teenager, winning robotics competitions, mentoring middle-scholars in an after-school comedy improv program or chasing runaway steers in his Livestock Worker job at the Fairgrounds. In addition to working at the San Diego County Fair for four years, Kevin also serves in the Production Department year-round. After graduating from San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas with a GPA of 4.2, Kevin plans to major in Mechanical Engineering.	Nichole Miller, $5,000 Exhibitor Scholarship. Nichole’s topsy-turvy cake earned her a first-place award at a prior San Diego County Fair, where she has been cooking up exhibitor awards for years. “I am very thankful for the opportunity the Fair has provided for me to showcase my crafts and culinary arts,” says this perennial winner who confides that even her defeats have helped her: “I learned lessons in sportsmanship and perseverance in the years when I did not place.” Nichole is graduating from Valhalla High School in her hometown of El Cajon with a 4.28 GPA. She plans to major in Business Administration at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, and to continue exhibiting at the Fair as an adult.
Holly Rogers, $5,000 4H Scholarship. Holly says, “4-H has helped me become the person I am.” Her 4-H leadership and compassionate involvement in many volunteer activities will propel Holly’s success as she majors in Fashion Merchandising at the Loyola Marymount. Holly lives in Fallbrook and is graduating with a 4.03 GPA from Sierra Springs Christian School in Murrieta. Holly reports, “A 4-H sewing project is what first sparked my interest in Fashion Merchandising. Serving as 4-H California State Ambassador has helped me grow as a leader and a citizen. I have evolved into a hard-working, honest and passionate young adult.”		Juliana Collins, $3,000 Special Scholarship. Juliana is a gifted student who is also down to earth, especially in terms of her commitment to the environment. This Carlsbad resident founded the “Make a Difference” Beach Clean-up group at her Carlsbad Seaside Academy, where students and parents do monthly cleanups along the beach. Academy Principal Keith Holley, states, “Juliana Collins is an extraordinary student in a high school where exceptional students are the norm.” Juliana plans to use her $3,000 scholarship to major in Creative Producing at Chapman University.