Gav Student Receives $20,000 Scholarship to U.C. Santa Cruz

Gavilan College student Olivia Altamirano has been named the recipient of the prestigious Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Award for the .  

The $20,000 scholarship is awarded to transfer students from 13 California community colleges who have demonstrated exceptional achievement through academic and extracurricular accomplishments. Awardees have also demonstrated involvement in activities that improve and assist the lives of others, and exhibit outstanding leadership qualities.  

With an overall GPA of 3.6, Olivia has earned a place on the Dean’s List for successive semesters at .  

She will graduate in May with an Associate's Degree in liberal arts with an emphasis in behavioral and organizational social sciences. Olivia is a first-generation college student and a graduate of .

Olivia has served the community through her volunteer work with senior citizens at Wheeler Manor and with youth at . In addition to community service, Olivia works several jobs, which include working as a tutor and mentor for students at and Anzar high schools through the South County California Student Opportunity and Access Program (CalSOAP). 

Olivia enjoys extracurricular activities in full-contact, mixed-martial arts (MMA) sports like Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and Muay Thai. 

Upon transferring to UCSC in the fall, Olivia plans to major in psychology and eventually hopes to earn a Ph.D in clinical psychology. Olivia’s career objective is to one day open her own clinic for private practice.