Our Students & Your Generosity Create a Better Community

A Legacy of Service

Manuel Bersamin Memorial Scholarship Endowment

Selfless is what most use to describe Manuel Bersamin, director of TRiO at Hartnell College since 2006. Going to work each day was not a job; it was a calling.

“He was always a visionary,” said TRiO Academic Counselor Norma Nichols. “He supported students in so many ways and provided them with the encouragement they needed to envision themselves in the future.”

Bersamin passed away on October 26, 2025, at the age of 68. It was sudden. The Hartnell community came together to grieve the loss and celebrate his legacy at a Celebración de Vida (celebration of life) in November at the Student Center.

Students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and family gathered to pay tribute to a man who gave it all and more for students.  There was dance, song, and audience sentiments. The sound of drums reminded the audience of Manuel’s heartbeat. The Aztec dancing was part of his heritage – Mexican and Filipino. The food embodied his daily giving to students so they would not go hungry, and so they could focus on their studies.

“We are here to celebrate the selfless person that Manuel was,” said Carla Johnson, dean at Gavilan College, who previously worked at Hartnell. “He used his own earnings to purchase food and snacks for students – he would never let anyone go hungry.”

Johnson added that the students were his kids, and his staff was his family.

He was a true example of perseverance, hard work, and achievements in higher education. He attended Cabrillo College, UC Irvine, San Jose State University, Stanford for his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration, and was a PhD Candidate at the University of Arizona.

Bersamin dove into politics as a City Councilmember and later Mayor of Watsonville. Last year, he joined the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees.

He was all about family. He loved his parents, Max and Victoria, and grew up with four sisters. He is survived by three of his sisters. 

For Manuel, God was always at the center of everything. He was known to pray for students and for his staff.

“Manuel taught us to serve students, to meet with parents, and to reach out to first-generation students,” said Nichols. “We will carry on his legacy of service and continue to make an impact in the community just the way he taught us.”

In recognition of the person that Manuel Bersamin was and the legacy he leaves behind, the Hartnell College Foundation has established the Manuel Bersamin Scholarship Endowment. The Foundation will match donations made to the endowment, up to $10,000.

To give to this fund, go to:

https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form?svcid=renxt&formId=6fcec7c5-0840-466d-aa72-84c2a27c7a9b&envid=p-nkvMpVHgIU6C9TilADrTGQ&zone=usa

Celebrating Our Automotive Graduates

2025 Don Crawford Memorial Scholarship Toolbox Luncheon

On December 3, 2025, Hartnell College hosted the Advanced Automotive Technology Graduate Toolbox Luncheon to honor the accomplishments of graduates from the 2023-2025 cohorts. 

Thanks to the continued generosity of the Don Crawford Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Hartnell College Foundation, a total of 23 students received their own professional-grade toolboxes this year: 5 graduates from 2023, 14 from 2024, and 4 from 2025.

Sue Antle, Don Crawford’s daughter, established the fund in honor of her father’s humble spirit and lifelong passion to improve machinery and repair vehicles. Don’s grandson Mike Antle, granddaughter Karen Hebl, and great-granddaughter Jessica Hebl attended the event. 

Don Crawford was a self-made innovator who, amongst other things, invented a carrot harvester. Don dedicated much of his career to machinery, and this scholarship honors that type of hands-on work. Students entering the automotive technology workforce with a toolbox are more likely to be hired, and this scholarship gives them a head start in their chosen technical career.

“This Scholarship equips students with high-quality tools to begin their careers or apprenticeships fully prepared, allowing them to focus on developing their craft and stepping into the workforce with readiness and professionalism,” said Guy Hanna, Hartnell College Dean of Agriculture, Business, and Industry.

In photos, we see scholarship recipients with their families, the Antle Family (Mike Antle, Karen Hebl, Jessica Hebl), and Jackie Cruz, Hartnell College Vice President of Advancement and Development and Executive Director of the Hartnell College Foundation.       

Our very best,