Endowed and Annual Scholarship Index

California Retired Teachers Association, Harbor Beach Division 77 Scholarship

In 1995, the California Retired Teachers Association – Harbor Beach Division #77 made their first scholarship gift to invest in a future teacher. They hope that through this scholarship, they will encourage and support students working successfully toward a career in public education.

Cambridge West Partnership, LLC Scholarship

In 2022, Irvine Valley College was selected as one of 20 California community colleges to receive scholarship funds from Cambridge West Partnership, LLC. Their generous support will be invested in the future of IVC students.

Carol and Bob Warsaw Family Endowed Scholarship

Carol and Bob Warsaw started this scholarship to support students who were struggling against all odds to achieve their educational goals. Carol has been a member of Charter 100 for a number of years. She saw the wonderful successes the scholarship recipients achieved and was inspired to expand that support with a newly endowed scholarship. Together, Carol and Bob understand the impact and value of higher education and they want to reduce the financial barrier that is often the reason students do not pursue their academic dreams.

Charter 100 Bessie Smith Burch Endowed Scholarship

Fawn Tanriverdi, a longtime IVC employee, started this scholarship in memory of her grandmother, Bessie Smith Burch, to honor the love she poured into raising her children, Don and Wyoma, and for the active role Bessie played in Fawn’s childhood. However, the inspiration and funding came from Bessie herself. During the Great Depression, Bessie moved from her birthplace of Manchester, Iowa, to Orange County, California, where she raised her family and was incredibly proud of the fact that her daughter and granddaughter both had educational opportunities she did not. Throughout these years, Bessie collected coins. They were passed from Bessie to Wyoma and ultimately to Fawn. When Fawn came upon the can of coins, she knew they should be used to establish a scholarship to provide others with what Bessie longed for: an opportunity to go to college.

Charter 100 Countess Pease Jeffries Endowed Scholarship

Countess Pease Jeffries was a very special and very accomplished member of Charter 100. Amongst her many achievements, Countess earned her BS at Howard University, her MBA at NYU, and finally her JD at Harvard University. She was generous and lived her life to the fullest. She relished the early days of Charter 100's support of IVC's CARE students. The members of Charter 100 established this endowment in her memory as a fitting tribute to the exceptional life she lived.

Charter 100 Dee Sampson Endowed Scholarship

For 25 years, Dee Sampson generously volunteered to serve on the Charter 100 board. In 2024, Dee decided that it was time to pass the torch and stepped down. To honor her dedication to Charter 100’s success, the board created an endowed scholarship in her honor.

Charter 100 Dina and Aron Kagan Endowed Scholarship

Dina and Aron Kagan were the parents of Charter 100 member Cecilia Goodman. While she was growing up, Cecilia’s parents stressed the importance of education. She established this endowment in memory of her parents and to carry on the work of investing in education.

Charter 100 Dr. Ellie T Soltani Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Parisa Soltani established this scholarship in memory of her mother, Dr. Ellie T. Soltani. Throughout her life, Parisa’s mother taught her the lesson that education was one of the best ways to help and support personal goals. By establishing this scholarship, Parisa hopes to pass this lesson on to the single parents and foster youth who receive the scholarship.

Charter 100 Fran and Jack Goodman Endowed Scholarship

Fran and Jack Goodman, beloved in-laws of Charter 100 member Cecilia Goodman, were unwavering champions of education and its power to shape brighter futures. They believed that learning opens doors, fuels possibility, and transforms lives. In tribute to their extraordinary legacy, Cecilia established this endowment in their memory—honoring their values and joyfully carrying forward their lifelong commitment to investing in education, opportunity, and the promise of generations to come.

Charter 100 Gilmour Family Endowed Scholarship

Pamela Gilmour joined Charter 100 in 2017 and has been a very active member. Through her involvement, she’s had the opportunity to meet many scholarship recipients and learn their stories. Their determination, resilience, and achievements inspired her to start this scholarship in honor of her family.

Charter 100 Jana Hackett Endowed Scholarship

When longtime friend Jana Hackett passed away, her friends and family established this endowed scholarship as a memorial to her incredible life.

Charter 100 Kathryn and John Marconi Endowed Scholarship

A number of years ago, Kathy Marconi taught in a program called School Age Mothers. It was this experience that drew Kathy to be part of Charter 100 as she had a deep understanding of the challenges that students who are also single parents face. Additionally, she knows what it is like to be raised by a single parent as her father died when she was eight and her mother was left to raise Kathy and her three siblings on her own. The connection to Charter 100 and their scholarships at IVC was strengthened after a conversation with a recipient who spent time in foster care growing up. With the support of Charter 100, Kathy and John started this scholarship to support single parents and foster youth as they work to achieve their academic dreams and because they know that IVC is a wonderful school.

Charter 100 Kathy Murphy Endowed Scholarship

Betty Everett’s sister, Kathy, was a remarkable electrical engineer whose promising life was tragically cut short by breast cancer. At Fermilab in Illinois, she was one of the first women hired in the electrical engineering unit, ultimately working her way up to leading her own team of engineers (primarily men) working on some of the most complex computing projects at the lab. In her 50s, Kathy retired from Fermilab and earned her teaching credential. She dedicated her time to tutoring students and athletes at the University of Oregon and teaching adults with learning disabilities to earn their general education degrees. Kathy would have loved the chance to support our scholars and contribute to their success.

Charter 100 Marilyn Foreman Endowed Scholarship

Marilyn Foreman was a longtime member of Charter 100 and a champion for women, both in education and business. Completing only one year of college as an art major in the 1940s, she overcame incredible odds, eventually taking over the family medical manufacturing business at age 58 and making it profitable. When she passed away at 73, the women of Charter 100 contributed to start this scholarship that bears her name.

Charter 100 Mary Turner Endowed Scholarship

Mary Turner was a longtime Charter 100 member who knew the scholarships the club provided to single parents made a significant impact on their educational journeys and ultimately their lives. When Mary passed away, the members of Charter 100 started an endowed scholarship to honor her memory and her commitment to IVC students.

Charter 100 Meredith Stanton Endowed Scholarship

With support from the members of Charter 100, Kathleen Buchanan started this endowed scholarship in honor of her mother, Meredith Stanton, a woman who made a profound impact on her life. By creating this scholarship, she hopes Meredith’s legacy.

Charter 100 Osher Endowed Scholarship

Charter 100 of Orange County has supported IVC students since 1996. They firmly believe that education is a pathway to opportunity, empowerment and independence and have made the support of IVC students their primary mission.

Charter 100 Pamela Louise Bennett Endowed Scholarship

Thanks to the values that her parents passed down to their children, Pam and her brothers developed a deep appreciation of the value of an education. They were raised knowing that they were expected to go to college and pay for it on their own. Pam will tell you that it is the best investment she’s ever encountered which was the inspiration behind this scholarship.

Charter 100 Ray and Gladys Williams Endowed Scholarship

Ray and Gladys Williams were children of hard-working farmers in Michigan. While Gladys pursued nursing, becoming a registered nurse, Ray built a career in the banking world. They were very involved in their community and church and encouraged their four children to do the same. They would definitely encourage the recipients of this award to work hard and be proud of who they are and what they have accomplished in life. Their daughter, Johanna Brody, is so proud to name this endowment in their honor.

Charter 100 Sandi Mitchell Endowed Scholarship

Helping women and girls reach their potential is something that Sandi Mitchell strongly believes in. She demonstrated her passion by being a member of Charter 100 and contributing to organizations that work toward this goal.

Charter 100 Scholarship

Charter 100 members know that single parents and Guardian Scholars face unique financial obstacles, especially when they are college students. By providing these scholarships, the members aim to alleviate these struggles and to let students know they believe in their ability to succeed.

Charter 100 Sue and Ralph Stern and Family Endowed Scholarship

Over the years, Sue and Ralph Stern have demonstrated a deep commitment to investing in students through a variety of meaningful efforts. This scholarship was created to support IVC students and serve as another important way to expand the Sterns’ long-standing dedication to student success.

Charter 100 Wally and Pearl Turner Endowed Scholarship

Betty Everett’s parents instilled the values and importance of education. Pearl grew up on a turkey farm and was fortunate to have an aunt who supported her through college. In her 40s, she returned to college to earn her teaching credential. She taught high school students with learning disabilities in the early days of discovering and understanding these neurological disorders. She taught at the same high school for over 20 years. Wally grew up in the Ozarks, where college was not an option. He had a vision and worked his way through college at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He went on to build an exciting and storied career in journalism. They would both be proud of the accomplishments of our scholars and thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in their successes.

Chemistry Department Scholarship

Having witnessed the powerful role scholarships play in shaping students’ educational journeys, an anonymous donor established this scholarship to champion those pursuing the study of chemistry. Through this gift and additional support from the chemistry faculty, the contributors seek to remove barriers, inspire perseverance, and empower students to continue exploring the field, supporting their curiosity, ambition, and potential to make meaningful contributions through science.

Chris and Kaye McDonald Scholarship

Chris and Kaye McDonald know the impact that community colleges have on their students firsthand as they started their journeys into higher education at community colleges. The interactions they had with their professors literally changed their professional goals, which ultimately led them to join the South Orange County Community College family in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Since then, they have dedicated their careers to supporting students in our District.

Chris L.C. Lee Creativity and Academic Scholarship

The Chris L.C. Lee Creativity and Academic Scholarship was established by Dr. Cathleen Greiner and members of Exchange Club of Irvine, and supported by Chris Lee's parents. It is to honor Chris's life and his passion for music. Chris Lee was an alumnus of IVC and a former testing proctor in the campus testing center.

City of Irvine Educational Partnership Fund Scholarship

The City of Irvine strongly believes in education and supporting their students throughout their educational careers. They contribute money annually to Irvine Valley College to use for scholarships for incoming freshmen students who graduated from the Irvine Unified School District.

Craig and Sheila Grossman Forensic Award

Craig and Sheila Grossman are woven into the intricate tapestry of IVC. As one of the original faculty members on campus, Craig built the Communications program at the college. Through his years of teaching, he helped change students’ lives through their experiences with Speech and Debate. Sheila also became an integral part of the program when she joined Craig in the department. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student in the Forensics program

Crossing the Finish Line Scholarship

As students pursue their educational goals at IVC, they often pour their hearts and souls into their studies, embracing every opportunity to learn, grow and develop their skills. Some students get very close to the end only to realize that they are suddenly faced with a financial barrier and cannot afford to take the last few classes to earn their degree. These students may feel like they have come so far, only to be stopped short of the finish line. This is where the scholarship comes in, providing a lifeline to students in need, helping them to overcome their financial challenges and cross the finish line.

CSM Edward Harrel, USA, (Ret.) and Mieko Harrel Endowed Scholarship

Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Edward Harrel, USA, (Ret.) and Mieko I. Harrel were dedicated and generous advocates for the people and values of our Irvine community. Mieko “Miki” Harrel was a very active Irvine volunteer during her 37 years of calling Irvine home after moving around the world in support of Edward’s military career. Miki’s life was touched by a number of IVC students both as a student herself and through her community involvement. Through her will, she established this scholarship to give back to the college that had a positive impact on their lives and is such an important part of our local community. The scholarship is awarded to a veteran, or child/grandchild of a veteran, to honor Edward, whose career spanned 33 years in the military; he honorably served in both the U.S. Navy and Army.

Cyndy McElyea Endowed Scholarship

Cyndy McElyea was a beloved member of the classified staff at IVC. In addition to doing her job well, she went out of her way to nurture and care for our students. When she passed away, at the young age of 38, the campus community came together to endow a scholarship to ensure that Cyndy’s passion for supporting students would go on in perpetuity.