This past month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles (BBBSLA) honored LMU with the “Innovator Award,” recognizing the University for its commitment to providing full-ride scholarships to high achieving young women in the BBBS mentoring program. The award was presented at the organization’s Accessories for Success Scholarship Luncheon, hosted by fashion icon and actress Amber Valletta at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Current LMU sophomore and 2014 BBBS scholarship recipient Paola Franco, SFTV alumnus Melissa Blake (TV writer/producer Sleepy Hollow, Ghost Whisperer) and her husband Roberto Orci (writer/producer Transformers, Star Trek, Spider Man 2) presented the award to LMU SFTV Dean Stephen Ujlaki, who accepted on behalf of the University.
“Loyola Marymount University is incredibly proud to be recognized by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, an organization that has positively impacted countless lives,” said Dean Ujlaki. “We have had the privilege of partnering with them since 2013, and to date, we have provided nine young women in the BBBS Mentoring Program full-ride scholarships to our University. It has been particularly gratifying for me personally to see many of these young women now thriving at LMU as freshmen and sophomores.”
The afternoon also honored Rebecca Campbell, president of ABC Owned Television Station Group & ABC Daytime, with the “Excellence in Mentoring Award.” In her acceptance speech, Campbell said that one of her proudest moments was when her “Little” Victoria Arevalo received a four-year scholarship to LMU in recognition of her hard work and dedication. Victoria will join the LMU class of 2020 this Fall.
In addition to offering young women of color the guidance and support to achieve their higher education aspirations, LMU also continues to be a leader in providing outstanding services for “first-to-go” college students.
Watch the video below to learn more:
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To learn more about how you can make a contribution and support LMU’s scholarship programs, please contact Stacy Barnes, stacy.barnes@lmu.edu
