Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad is pleased to announce an annual scholarship for eligible students within Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. We have established the Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship. An annual scholarship of $1000 will be awarded based on merit to a qualifying student pursuing a degree or technical training in the Industrial Arts.
2024 Scholarship Award:
We are pleased to announce the 2024-2025 recipients of the Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship are Luis Padilla from Pioneer High School (Santa Maria) and Marc Colores from Santa Maria High School. Luis has been accepted to enroll at California State University Northridge and Marc will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Luis (left) and Marc (right) were presented their awards at this year's Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad Dinner Gala and Fundraiser. Their families proudly attended the ceremonies with them.
Apply for Academic Year 2025-2026 Awards:
Academic Year 2025-2026 Application:
Download the PDF here.
Amount of Scholarship Award:
$1,000
Eligibility:
An applicant must be enrolled (or accepted to attend) at the time of application as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university, or a full-time industrial arts technical training student on the Central California Coast (San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara Counties). Applicants must be enrolled in courses in industrial arts, technical vocational training, or industrial engineering courses including industrial arts, industrial technology, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and agricultural engineering. Preference to applicants preparing for a career in railroads. Eligible schools are: Hancock College, Cuesta College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of California Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara City College.
Application Process:
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will be accepted between September 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. All materials, including references letters and transcripts, must be postmarked via US Mail or submitted via email/on line by March 31, 2025 to be considered. For academic year 2025-2026, candidates will be notified of the Committee's decision by April 16, 2025. The 2025 application timeline is as follows:
1.) Application Window: September 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.
2.) Candidate Notification: April 16, 2025.
3.) Awards Dinner May 17, 2025.
The application must consist of the following:
1.) The application downloaded above.
2.) An official transcript from high schools, vocational schools (as applicable), and colleges (as applicable) attended for all work through prior year (arrange to be sent directly to Friends-SMVRR via US Mail or email).
3.) Three letters of recommendation (arrange to be sent directly to Friends-SMVRR via US Mail or email).
All materials should be submitted to the following US Mail address or email address:
FRIENDS OF THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY RAILROAD
P.O. BOX 1031
SANTA MARIA, CA 93456-1031
scholarship@friends-smvrr.org
If you have questions or problems, contact us via email at: scholarship@friends-smvrr.org