As county Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone presented diplomas to 18 students at El Puente Community School’s graduation ceremony this week, Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise member David Velarde presented three of the students — Jorge Rios, Juana Torres and Hitxza Uriostegui — with $500 education assistance grants.
Two of the students, Torres and Uriostegui, had been recipients of Sunrise’s Student of the Month award.
Rios is enrolled at SBCC. He wants to study photography and film, and hopes to become a film director.
Torres will be attending SBCC in the fall and plans to study journalism and photography.
Uriostegui will be moving to Las Vegas and plans to pursue a nursing career.
— Diana Washburn is the public relations chairwoman for the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise.