UCLA-bound Oxnard student secures $230,000 in scholarships

The son of a farmworker and a factory worker known for helping his peers at Channel Islands High School has received a big lift of his own in his drive to become the first in his family to attend college.

Pedro Calderon, 18, of Oxnard has been awarded 21 scholarships totaling a whopping $229,670.

The awards more than cover a full ride to UCLA, which he committed to attending starting this fall.

"It is such a proud moment to see his dedication and tenacious efforts pay off," his high school counselor, Melina Sand, said in an email.

Arleen Morales, coordinator of the school's Upward Bound program through the education arm of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said she has never known a student to accrue such a high amount of scholarship money.

Morales has worked with Calderon since he was a freshman in the program, which provides tutoring, mentorship, and advice on colleges and careers. 

She recalled how much pressure Calderon was under, juggling sports, clubs and academics. He made time to come to tutoring and would stay after hours to finish work despite his rigorous schedule, she said.

Calderon participated in sports throughout high school including cross country, track and field, and soccer, but stopped playing to focus on applications.

The scholarships are especially important to Calderon as a student from a low-income family who will be the first to attend college. Over the years, he worked weekends and holidays in local fields with his father, a farmworker, because he didn't want to rely solely on his parents for money.

"It was the only way that I could help myself and my family," Calderon said.

His applications weren't always successful. The deadline for two scholarship applications Calderon spent hours on passed before he could submit due to the east coast time difference.

Though that was discouraging, he said, "I knew that I had the potential to compete with everyone else."

In total, Calderon estimates he applied to about 50 or 60 scholarships.

"It was very overwhelming," he said.

Calderon's scholarships include $40,000 from the GE and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, $30,000 from Lockheed Martin, $20,000 from Dell and Coca Cola each, and $600 from the Association of California School Administrators.

"Pedro is one of the kindest students I have worked with in my counseling career and his recent achievements are a proud moment that we (Ventura County) can all share and celebrate," Sand said.

Morales, who wrote a recommendation letter for Calderon's GE-Reagan scholarship, said he grew from the shy freshman to an outspoken, confident young man. 

In some scholarship applications, Calderon said he talked about his experience volunteering and helping the community.

"(I've) always been a person who enjoys helping others," he said.

To that end, Calderon is most proud of his work with Project Islas Unidas, which he co-founded during his junior year in 2019. The group welcomes incoming students and English learners and offers them resources like tutoring.

Diana Martinez, who was his middle school teacher at Lemonwood School in Oxnard, called Calderon "Lemonwood Legend" for his numerous first-place awards in races and said he has always been a great, self-driven role model.

Calderon will be studying mechanical engineering at UCLA. He's not set on one career at the moment, but he hopes to incorporate his passion for the automotive field. 

And as a nod to his work with Project Islas Unidas, he hopes to one day serve as a mentor and create STEM scholarships for first-generation, low-income students to help them find their success.

Shivani Patel covers education for The Star as a Report for America corps member. Reach her at shivani.patel@vcstar.com or 805-603-6573. She is also on Twitter at @shivaaanip.