Of the five students chosen by Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Los Padres Region to receive the company’s $2,500 Bright Minds Scholarship, three are from Allan Hancock College. 

The Los Padres Region covers San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara County. The Hancock recipients were among the 90 finalists chosen out of 8,000 applicants statewide.

“I was thrilled to learn I had been selected for the scholarship, and I’m deeply appreciative of the support PG&E has provided me,” said Hancock student Steven Auclair, a Lompoc resident and Allen Hancock’s new student trustee.

Auclair applied for the Bright Minds Scholarship after attending an informational workshop sponsored by the Allan Hancock College Foundation. He said he plans to use the funds to purchase technology he needs to succeed in college. Auclair’s ultimate plans include becoming a special education teacher.

In addition to studying liberal arts and social and behavioral sciences, Auclair is an active member of the college’s Associated Student Body Government and the Alpha Gamma Sigma-Aquarius Chapter honor society.

Auclair’s fellow scholarship recipients include Inga McCullough, a Lompoc student studying applied design/media, and dental assisting student Samantha Georgeadis from Arroyo Grande.

“Enabling talented, driven, civic-minded students to realize their dreams of higher education is one of the most powerfully positive ways PG&E can give back to our communities,” said Pacific Gas & Electric Co. President Chris Johns said. “Many of the winners of the inaugural Bright Minds Scholarship Program have overcome personal adversity. All of them share a spirit of service and a commitment to building a brighter future in their communities. We look forward to fostering our relationships with these students as they complete their education, begin their careers and become our leaders of tomorrow.”

The awards are part of PG&E’s $1 million Bright Minds Scholarship Program, which helps cover higher education expenses for selected high school seniors, community college and “non-traditional” students.

— Sonja Oglesby is a public affairs and publications technician for Allan Hancock College.