Travel Paso awards $20,000 in local scholarships
Travel Paso Board Member Angela McKee poses with scholarship recipients Esmeralda Ruiz, Daisy Martinez, Ximena Valencia, Briseida Guardado, Maricarmen Anducho, and Jacqualine Lopez Vasquez.
Program supports students pursuing hospitality and related careers
– Travel Paso has awarded $20,000 in scholarships to eight students from Paso Robles, Templeton, and Atascadero high schools through the Travel Paso Scholarship Fund.
The scholarships are administered through a fund held at The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County. Travel Paso, the destination marketing organization for Paso Robles, said the program supports students working in or pursuing careers related to travel, tourism, and hospitality.
“We can only grow as a destination if we work together to strengthen our community and invest in the future of our youth,” said Stacie Jacob, president and chief executive officer of Travel Paso. “To achieve this, the scholarship prioritizes students whose families are employed in local tourism and hospitality businesses, or those graduates planning to pursue a career in the field.”
According to the foundation, a total of $460,148 in scholarships was awarded to students throughout San Luis Obispo County. Scholarship funds may be used for tuition, textbooks, housing, and other educational expenses.
The eight recipients each received $2,500 scholarships.
The 2026 Travel Paso Scholarship recipients are:
- Damian Thomas Marano, Atascadero High School — Accounting
- Eva Pontius, Templeton High School — Nursing and Occupational Therapy
- Maricarmen Anducho, Paso Robles High School — Hospitality
- Jacqualine Lopez Vasquez, Paso Robles High School — Hospitality
- Briseida Guardado, Paso Robles High School — Hospitality
- Daisy Martinez, Paso Robles High School — Medicine
- Ximena Valencia, Paso Robles High School — Nursing and Public Health
- Esmeralda Ruiz, Paso Robles High School — Nursing
“Partnering with The Community Foundation to support students from our community as they further their education is something we take real pride in,” Jacob said. “We encourage rising seniors to apply for our third cohort in 2027 and help us continue this meaningful work.”
