Lyon's Pride

LYON’SPRIDE Scholarship Program

Foundation is proud of program with the leges of Maricopa, Pima, oconino counties.

Foundation launched e Scholarship initiative, a 5-year plan (beginning pport 100 students with ent of $100,000.

program will award ships, each valued at y is given to applicants st in their families to education, those who are rners in their households, ents. The scholarship is all academic programs.

PIMA COLLEGE

Claudia Burrola

Maria Gutierrez

Cosondra Holmes

Aurelio Vargas

COCONINO COLLEGE

Colleen Lanssens

Ariana Grijalba

Veronica Gonzales

MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Karen Galarza

Sabawoon Shinwari

Samantha Gonzales

Jazlyn Rosales

Spencer German

YAVAPAI COLLEGE

Kimberly Gregory

Micheala Brewer

2022RECIPIENTS

COCONINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Penn Geislin

Iridian Ruiz

Tracey Yazzie

YAVAPAI COLLEGE

Alyx Sarisky

Traci Rodriguez

Mary Dubuke

PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Angel Avila

Jitendar Singh

Karla Cordova

Martin Deleon

2024RECIPIENTS

ALYX SARISKY

2024 Recipient Associate of Applied Science in Nursing

Dear Lyon's Pride Scholarship Donors,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for being chosen for the Lyon's Pride Scholarship this spring 2024 semester This opportunity is an incredible honor and means a tremendous amount to me. Not only will it relieve the associated financial stress of college, but it will also drive me to excel throughoutYavapai's nursing program

Currently, continuing the nursing pathway is my top priority and I look forwards to getting both my associates and bachelor's here at Yavapai College. Being granted this scholarship helps me continue this dream and your belief in my potential means I can focus on expanding my medical knowledge I'm dedicated to making the most of this scholarship

Once again, I am truly grateful for your support and the journey ahead. I look forward to upholding your expectations and making a difference to Yavapai County's residents.

Sincerely,

Alyx Seth Sarisky

TRACI RODRIGUEZ

2024 Recipient Associate of Arts with Nursing Intent

Dear Lyon's Pride Scholarship Donors,

I want to personally thank the Lyon's Pride Scholarship for awarding me this financial blessing It will help me continue in my success of a college degree and a step closer to applying to the nursing program.

Thank you for your generosity monetarily It makes me feel supported and recognized. Thank you for investing in my future! Sometimes I feel a little crazy and backward taking on college as a single mother of two children but here I am This award will lift the financial burden and create a space to breathe while putting more focus on school.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Moments like this help me to keep going. Step by step. One day I hope to give back to others in such a capacity.

Sincerely,

Traci Rodriguez

MARY DUBUKE

2024 Recipient Associate of Arts

Dear Lyon's Pride Scholarship Donors,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

It was a very rough weekend thinking everything I needed to succeed as a student was not in place. I cannot thank you enough for awarding me this scholarship!! All monies will be put towards my success!!

I am a single mom who is currently pursuing my Associate of Arts degree and am about 80% complete after this semester I want to finish my degree to set a good example for my daughter.

A very appreciative student, Mary Dubuke

Currently, I am majoring in the healthcare field in hopes of becoming of registered nurse. I want to give back to our many citizens who need healthcare. Helping others has always been a goal for me, so thank you for being apart of my journey You made a huge difference! Without your contribution, registering for classes would have been impossible.

Thank you again for your generous contribution, I am truly grateful

Sincerely,

Tracey Lynn Yazzie

I am currently a Psychology major Upon graduating from Coconino Community College, I plan to pursue further education at Northern Arizona University. The financial assistance you provided will be of great help to me in paying my educational expenses, and it will allow me to concentrate more of my time on studying.

Thank you again for your generosity and support I will work very hard and eventually give back to others, both as a psychologist and possibly starting a scholarship for future students like myself.

Sincerely,

Penn Geislin

scholarship as support is truly an honor. Graduating high school eight years ago has always been a reminder that it is never too late to strive for a better future. I am hopeful to keep the determination of graduating college and pursue a career in nursing. My ultimate goal is to continue my education until I am ready to apply for the nursing program that is available at Coconino Community College.

Being a full time worker, mother, and a student, my future is molding off what I create for myself, and for my son. I have always known that becoming a nurse is an accomplishment I longed to reach. I have very recently convinced myself to return to school and continue my education knowing I am now ready, and fully willing to complete my education and career targets that I deeply desire. The determination for my success is to demonstrate to my son that no aspirations are impossible as long as dedication is used wholeheartedly. Thanks to your generous help, I continue to feel supported, and find purpose in moving forward. I will proceed with my educational journey and always remember your contribution.

With appreciation,

Iridian Ruiz

KIMBERLY GREGORY

2022 Recipient Business Management

My name is Kimberly Gregory and I am one of the recipients of the Lyon's Pride Scholarship I received the email yesterday with the wonderful news! Thanks to your generosity, I will be able to purchase school supplies and other items needed to set myself up for success at Yavapai College

I am a returning student, at 40, and focused on getting my Associate of Business While enrolled at Butte Community College in Northern California, my hometown, just a few years ago, I was working on what they called my AS in Business Management I very much enjoyed being a student, and worked hard to make good grades

Due to unforeseen circumstances with my daughters' father, three years ago, I packed up my 1989 Toyota Tacoma with my two (2) daughters, blankets, clothes, my dog, Elvis, and made the drive from Chico, California to Prescott, Arizona My daughters, Josslyn (now 10) and Chrislyn (now 8) and I slept on a dining room floor for 6 months upon our arrival, as we were homeless

With help from the community, my daughters and I were able to get a lovely apartment ourselves, with an amazing back yard view (The mountain with the Prescott P is visible from our yard!) A local church in Prescott donated furniture, kitchen ware, and directed us to the DES office to sign up for SNAP I have been blessed to find employment at Prescott College in the grants department and have been employed at Prescott College for 6 months My plan is to transfer to Prescott College for my bachelor's, upon completing my courses at Yavapai College

My little family and I came to Arizona with literally next to nothing Life wasn't as fair as it should have been to my daughters, in my opinion It's been difficult to start a life over from what feels like scratch, but with the generous help of this lovely community in Prescott, my daughters and I have been able to have a nice little life here A life my children very much deserve That's when I decided to re-enroll in school and pursue my degree, once again

I'm an avid book reader, which is a polite way to say I am really a book nerd My daughters and I love to play tennis, play card and board games together, roller skate, arts & crafts and they're starting to develop a love of reading, also It's my intimate desire to be an example to my children that they will be proud of I want to instill a love of learning, a love of education, and a love for their communities I plan on doing homework in the evenings with my daughters, and us all navigating this education journey together! I will be leading my family by example

Again, I just want to thank you so much for even taking the time to consider me as a recipient for this scholarship award, let alone granting it to me Thank you so much for this opportunity and this blessing!

Best,

Kimberly Gregory

MICHEALA BREWER

2022 Recipient Business Management

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for selecting me for the Lyon's Pride Scholarship. I am truly honored to have been selected for this scholarship and it will help me out tremendously. I was surprised and so excited when I got the email saying I had been selected to receive it.

I am currently a single mom of two daughters and the worry about having the ability to provide for them while furthering my education was a worry of mine. I work full time and have been going back and forth for a while trying to decide what and if I wanted to return to school. I was worried I may not have the funds or the time to make sure my daughters were taken care of. With receiving this scholarship some of that worry is now taken away as I know that a portion of my tuition will be covered, and I can continue to further my education and career goals while providing my daughters the best life possible.

My goals for my education are currently to get my Management Certificate to help me with my current employment as well as being able to manage my future goals. After I finish this certificate, I will be moving on to achieve my Associates in Paralegal Studies. My goal in the end is to be able to start a career as a Legal Paraprofessional and help people like myself who may not be able to pay for an attorney but need the legal help in family law matters.

Thank you again for this opportunity and help to achieve my goals.

SAMANTHA GONZALES

2021 Recipient Associate in Business

Thank you!

My name is Samantha Gonzales, and I am a first-generation HispanicAmerican student I am attending Mesa Community College this year to achieve my goal of being a business owner. This idea sparked when I was in school for massage therapy. My instructor was a business owner herself, and that was very inspiring to me She encouraged me to go to college and pursue my dream. After successfully graduating from MCC, I will use my degree to open a business of my own (a spa to be exact) I chose MCC because it opened a window of opportunity for lower-income students like me. MCC is giving me a chance to think bigger and change my mindset

At first, the idea of college didn’t seem available to me because not only was it too much money, but I thought I was set on just being a massage therapist. I thought that was enough, but I soon realized I had more potential in me. I asked myself why just work at a spa when I can own one? After that, I have been set on becoming successful, and receiving this scholarship will bring me one step closer to being the successful businesswoman I know I can be.

Hello!

SABAWOON

SHINWARI

2021 Recipient Business Micro Finance

My name is Sabawoon Shinwari and I am honored and humbled to be selected for this scholarship

I am thankful for your generosity and your interest in my education. I am the first in my family to attend college , Getting this scholarship has allowed me to fully focus on my school and not worry about how I am going to pay for my school. For this fall semester, I am enrolled in 4 classes at Glendale Community College I choose to go to community college my freshman year because it allows me to explore all the fields out there and gives me a chance to find my likes and dislikes. I want to study finance in college and hope to become a financial analyst one day and with the help of generous donors like yourself, I will be able to reach that milestone very soon. I am also an honor student at GCC which was something I worked hard for in high school. Receiving this scholarship keeps me motivated and hopeful that people do care about my education which allows me to keep my GPA high. I look forward to giving back to my community one day when I am able and helping students and my community.

Once again, I am very thankful for your investment and your willingness towards my education.

JAZLYN ROSALES

2021 Recipient Nursing

I want to say a big thank you to the donors for donating and for making this scholarship opportunity possible.

As a first-generation high school graduate and the first to go to college, I was scared and not really prepared for how I was going to pay for college. I am attending Mesa Community College because I come from a lowincome family and sometimes it is hard to make ends meet for my parents and me. This scholarship will make it easier for me to attend school because being a full-time student can make it difficult to have a job. For example, I help my mom around the house and I also help her run errands I get tired sometimes and I then have to focus on school work. I am given certain labs that take more than a day to complete since I have to gather materials and analyze data I also have my English work on top of that.

Your scholarship has taken a lot of the financial stress off my shoulders.

Thank you!

Dear Donor,

KAREN GALARZA

2021 Recipient Nursing

I just want to take the time and thank you for giving me this opportunity. Being a single mother makes affording school more difficult This award is going to help me tremendously. I am attending nursing school in the fall and had no financial aid to cover my tuition cost. It has been a long-time dream of mine to take care of others and make a difference in my community. Having a degree in nursing will get me closer to reaching such a dream. I have worked long hard hours since I was 16 years old, and this award will help me focus on school more instead of working so much to pay for it. Overall,

I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life and will always be grateful to you for investing in my future and believing in me throughout my journey.

Thank you!

Hello,

SPENCER GERMAN

2021 Recipient Aircraft Maintenance Technology

I am a first-generation American, the first in my family to serve in the United States Armed Forces, and the first in my family to go to college

Since I was a child, I have always been intrigued by airplanes and helicopters. When I graduated high school, I joined the Navy to work on aircraft and I fell even more in love When I got out of the Navy, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the aviation industry and obtain an airframe and power plant (A&P) license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

After I have my certificate of completion, I will complete testing with the FAA and obtain my power plant license. Holding both my airframe and power plant license, I will be certified by the FAA to inspect and perform maintenance on aircraft I will find a job in the aviation industry doing something that I love to do. This will impact my life in such a positive way. I will be working doing something that I am passionate about, and it will bring financial stability to me, my wife, and our future family. Receiving this scholarship has provided the support I need to pursue my education.

The Aircraft Maintenance Technology program requires a personal laptop, reading/studying materials, as well as a plethora of tools that are not provided by the school. Your scholarship has removed a large financial burden from my shoulders.

Thank you!

MARIA E GUTIERREZ,

2021 Recipient Nursing

Dear Lyons Pride Scholarship Foundation,

The scholarship you awarded me is very much appreciated! My family and I thank you and your donors for the financial assistance, toward my education. I have paid for my education, taking a class at a time, for the last five years. Nursing School is very competitive to get into, and receiving The Lyons Pride Scholarship relieved me of some of the financial responsibility of my tuition costs.

I am very grateful, thank you for getting me a step closer to completing my dream of becoming a Registered Nurse: my anticipated graduation date, is December 2022.

Respectfully,

Maria E Gutierrez

independently when it started in my senior year. I started off this year however hopeful despite not being sure what I want to do in regards to a major. However, I preserved and had the most gracious professors at CCC to have guided me towards what I wanted to do in my major.

So, since May 2021 I've decided to go into the course of journalism and media communications! I hope to stay in touch with this renewed passion of mine even when I further off from college After I graduate I plan on transferring into Hunter College back in New York where I am originally from. With my financial burdens being lifted off of me and being able to gather an education throughout the toughest times the world endured, I can finally get to pursue the dream I've held back for so long in the back of my mind. It's been an amazing freshman year and I'm very thrilled to have maintained my good grades despite the circumstances that have occurred. Once again I am truly grateful for this opportunity and to have accepted it for betterment of my sophomore year at Coconino Community College.

Sincerely,

Ariana M. Grijalba

I have wanted to be a nurse since I was very young I never thought that attending college was a possibility for me, until recently when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I cared for her until her death, and I realized that nursing is my passion I would love to go into hospice nursing because I can't think of anything more rewarding than caring and providing comfort for someone at the end of their life. I am starting my second year in the CCC Nursing Program My goal is to become a Registered Nurse, and thanks to you, I am one step closer to my goal.

By awarding me the CCC Foundation Scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden, allowing me to focus on my studies. I want to be a positive example for my two daughters that they too, can achieve their goals. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day to be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me. I will forever be grateful for your help.

Sincerely,

Colleen Lanssens

I am glad to have the opportunity to thank you personally for your generosity. Without donors like you, many students would be unable to pursue the career of their dreams.

My future includes pursuing a career in Early Childhood Development. I not only have a passion for Education, but also a vision to help make my community a safer place to live

Once again, I offer my sincerest thanks for your generous support.

Sincerely,

Veronica Gonzalez