An SBVC Foundation scholarship recipient shakes hands with a college representative on stage while receiving recognition. Scholarship certificates are arranged on a table behind them during the annual awards ceremony.

The San Bernardino Valley College Foundation awarded more than $882,000 in scholarships during its annual scholarship ceremony on May 7, 2026 — the highest amount in the Foundation’s history and a major milestone in SBVC’s centennial year.

A total of 638 students received scholarships during the 2025–26 academic year, including awards through the ValleyUp2CSUSB pilot program supporting students committed to transferring to Cal State San Bernardino. The record-setting total follows the Foundation’s Centennial Gala on March 27, which raised more than $1 million, the most successful fundraising event in college history. In addition to scholarships, the Foundation distributed more than $20,000 in additional student support.

“Your college community is proud of you,” said SBVC Foundation Executive Director Michael Layne during the ceremony in the college’s historic Auditorium. “Tonight is not the end of your journey — it is a reminder of what you have already overcome and what you are still capable of achieving.”

The ceremony highlighted the perseverance of SBVC students, many of whom balanced work, family responsibilities, and personal hardships while pursuing their education. Scholarship recipient Mercie Ramirez, who is graduating with an associate degree in liberal arts and transferring to Cal State San Bernardino, shared her journey through the foster system, homelessness, domestic violence, and working parenthood before enrolling at SBVC. “Thank you, San Bernardino Valley College, for not only being the biggest lifeline I have ever had but also for going above and beyond it,” Ramirez said.

SBVC President Gilbert J. Contreras connected the historic scholarship total to the college’s century-long mission of supporting students through access and opportunity.

“We know how much it means to our students to have financial support to pursue their dreams,” Contreras said. “As we fulfill our ancestors’ dreams, it takes time and money — especially for students who are low-income, first-generation, and balancing many responsibilities for family and home. That is my story as well.”

Top scholarship funders included Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, the Jay Pritzker Foundation, Chuck Obershaw and the Obershaw family, and Southern California Edison.