Head shot of woman with curly shoulder-length light brown who is wearing a brown dress with pattern of large cream-colored flowers.
Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons
Profile head shot of bald man with short beard and mustache holding a microphone. He is wearing glasses ad a blue plaid shirt
Arturo “Cheech” Raygoza

About 250 people attended the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara’s 2022 Community Leaders Luncheon at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort on Dec. 5.

The annual event recognizes Scholarship Foundation donors and volunteers. The organization had canceled its previous two Community Leaders luncheons in response to the pandemic and associated public health orders.

Head shot of man with dark hair, short-cropped beard and mustache and wearing blue tie, white shirt and dark suit jacket.
Matt Rowe
Head shot of woman wearing glasses a maroon blouse, dark jacket and gold-tone earrings. She as blond hair with a wave that skims the top of her right eye.
Barbara Robertson

Featured speakers this year included Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, a past Scholarship Foundation recipient and an infectious disease physician and internist at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital; and Arturo “Cheech” Raygoza, a current recipient and student at UC Berkeley.

Foundation Board Chair Matt Rowe also addressed attendees, as did Barbara Robertson, foundation president/CEO .

Raygoza, an aspiring academic, shared his experience overcoming poverty, addiction, and gang life to excel academically at Allan Hancock College.

“If you stop giving someone a second chance, they stop having one. Because of your generous donations, I’ve been given a second chance,” he said.

Robertson, who recently announced her retirement at the end of the year, reflected on her 22 years of service to the foundation.

“My involvement with the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has been an exceptionally rewarding experience,” she said. “I can’t imagine a more fulfilling way to spend one’s working years.”

In May, the foundation awarded scholarships totaling $7.7 million to 2,146 students throughout Santa Barbara County.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded more than $140 million to some 60,000 county students since its founding in 1962.

A nonprofit organization, the Scholarship Foundation also provides free financial aid advising services. For additional information, visit www.sbscholarship.org.