2026 Scholarship Winners
Advantage Scholarship Winners
Olivia Beckett
A graduate of El Dorado High School, Olivia experienced many hardships growing up, but through her experiences learned to be responsible for herself. She learned resourcefulness, self-discipline and resilience, developing her future potential from the ground up. She plans to channel that same perseverance into college and beyond, majoring in biopsychology at UC Santa Barbara with a goal of becoming a psychiatrist, working with individuals suffering from addiction and mental illness.
Faith Johnson
A graduate of Union Mine High School, Faith’s childhood was filled with instability, requiring her to develop an inner strength to get through hard times. One letter of recommendation stated that “Faith has not allowed hardships to harden her. Instead, they have shaped her into someone grounded, hopeful and deeply committed to building a better future.” Faith plans to attend U.C. Santa Cruz with a double major in Language Studies and Politics.
Maxine Kim
Maxine graduated from El Dorado High School, growing up as the granddaughter of immigrants and facing racial prejudice. In addition, she has experienced life-changing health challenges. Instead of letting it get her down, she faced her hardships and learned to work to the best of her ability and overcome the roadblocks. Her experiences have fueled an interest in Human Biology and she plans to study that at U.C. San Diego with a goal of becoming a dentist.
Community Service Scholarship Winners
Aubrey Foust
Aubrey was a home-schooled student who worked through American River Charter School to finish high school while also taking classes at Sierra College. She accumulated over 1000 hours of community service work with various organizations in El Dorado County, particularly with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Sierra where her passion lies with supporting children who cannot speak for themselves. She plans to pursue a degree in the Justice field where she can continue advocating for children who have been overlooked, abused or silenced. After one more semester at Sierra College, she plans to transfer to Fresno State University.
Taylyn Young
A graduate of Oak Ridge High School, Taylyn has a passion for helping special needs kids, which she has done by working with Unified Sports, a high school program that allows disabled students to play sports, and also by volunteering with Special Olympics, first in their walking club and then as a basketball coach. Through those experiences, she learned how to communicate with and inspire her athletes, and how not to give up when things become difficult. She plans to continue this path by attending Auburn University and pursuing a career in occupational therapy.
Aislynne Hartman
Aislynne graduated from Oak Ridge High School and her most significant community service was building the NorCal Gift From the Heart Foundation. She started small by having children make Valentines cards for children in the hospital, and her project has grown to encompass four counties with over 800 students participating in El Dorado County alone. Aislynne plans to complete her undergrad degree in English at UC Berkeley and then earn a law degree with a focus on juvenile law and child advocacy.
Ava Galli
A graduate of South Tahoe High School, Ava experienced many challenges growing up that led her to create Buddy Bags, a service project to provide students in need with backpacks filled with things like hygiene products and school supplies. Working with the school’s homeless liaison to identify students in need, her project impacted over 150 students. Ava will be attending Princeton University and plans to major in Biology and pursue a pre-medical pathway with the goal of working in Pediatrics.