We love keeping in touch with our graduates. College and Career Specialist Valerie Beachley recently checked in with 2020 Diploma Graduate Eduardo Inestria. It’s been big year for Eduardo: he earned his diploma and a Simon Youth Foundation scholarship, enrolled at Orange Coast College and welcomed his first child.
Eduardo attended HBAS at our BESST Center location in Costa Mesa. From the start, he stood out to instructor Samia Nasry as a student who reached out and made connections at every step on his educational path. Eduardo sought academic advising to stay on track for graduation, and regularly attended HBAS resource fairs, job fairs and college bridge days. He met with representatives from Coastline and Orange Coast College to discuss options and future plans.
When nominating Eduardo for a scholarship, Ms. Nasry explained that while he was a good student, what truly set him apart is his heart for service. “Eduardo worked right next door to our classroom for a non-profit organization called Save Our Youth (SOY) as the Arts and Music Coordinator. Every day I got to watch him interact with at-risk youth and I could see that they all loved and respected him. His passion for helping others also poured into the classroom as he encouraged his classmates to work hard and served as such a positive example.”
We were thrilled to present Eduardo with the well-deserved SYF Scholarship at our 2020 Drive-Thru Graduation Ceremony. To say he’s been busy since then is an understatement. Eduardo enrolled in OCC this summer and aced his Intro to Business class. Eduardo exceled during the fall semester (“crushing” his difficult English class), all while helping care for his wife and their newborn daughter, Arya. Though “it’s been exhausting, being a father is wonderful beyond words.”
Eduardo continues to take a proactive approach to his education. He joined OCC’s Puente Project, and appreciates the additional support and mentorship. Eduardo is pursuing business management and hopes one day to create his own non-profit organization. We can’t wait to see how he continues the good work he has started in his community.