Diana Harrison Memorial Scholarship awards deserving students

Sarah-Beth Roach, Dallas Platter and Laura Acosta are recipients of the Diana Harrison Memorial Scholarship; each student received $1,000. Diana Harrison was the managing editor and co-publisher of Inland Empire Community Newspapers, who passed away suddenly on June 1, 2017.

Supporting our youth was one of Diana’s passions, therefore a scholarship established in her memory was so fitting.

Sarah-Beth is returning to school after serving in the United States Army as a medic for six years where she received two Commendation Medals and was recognized for leadership. Sarah-Beth is majoring in Biology and plans to transfer to a university to become a Registered Nurse before pursuing her master’s in Public Health and Global Health. Sarah-Beth is very passionate about health care- specifically women’s healthcare and those who do not have adequate access to medical care. Her ultimate goal is to work with MSF (Aka Doctors Without Borders) as a nurse to provide access to care in impoverished and war-torn areas.

After realizing you cannot get anywhere in life without a good education, Dallas decided to follow her passion to become a social worker. Dallas hopes to use her personal experience and knowledge to have a positive impact in the lives of children and families in our community. Dallas states, “I have been blessed to obtain tools that have helped me to remain clean for six years. During this time, I’ve been able to help other women push through their barriers and find joy in staying clean.”

Laura Acosta decided to return to school after becoming a mother, an event that made her realize the frailty of life and her inner passion of helping others. Laura is pursuing a degree in nursing at San Bernardino Valley College to obtain a Doctor of Nursing Practice and to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

“The greatest sacrifice has been that of my family. Going back to school has required us to sacrifice financial stability and make difficult decisions about housing and childcare. If it were not for grants and scholarships, my continuing education would not be possible. I rely now more than ever on forms of financial aid to help support the cost of daycare on top of the cost of living in order to continue pursuing my education to better my family’s life,” Laura wrote in her biography.

Help us continue awarding annual scholarships in remembrance of Diana to truly deserving community college students.

Please consider a donation to the Diana Harrison Martinez Fund at the Community Foundation (please specify Diana Harrison Martinez Fund on the memo line of the check) and send to:
The Community Foundation
c/o Diana Harrison Martinez Fund
3700 Sixth Street
Riverside, CA 92501