Dear donors and supporters,
I am getting more and more excited as the April days go by and I anticipate seeing many of you soon at our WELI Soirée on April 23 and at Party Near the Library on May 21. These opportunities to connect and to support and uplift our students are near and dear to my heart! Yours and our community’s generosity toward our students can’t be understated; you change lives when you give.
Spring is also a time of great anticipation for our students as those long-awaited letters of acceptance to universities begin arriving, and decisions must be made as to where they will go to continue their education. Many of them will return to this community and perhaps become your colleagues and friends.
I am happy to share the news that last week, Assembly member Robert Rivas named Erica Padilla-Chavez, president of the Hartnell College Governing Board, as Woman of the Year for Assembly District 30, as part of the annual Women’s History Month observance by the Legislative Women’s Caucus. She is CEO of Pajaro Valley Prevention & Student Assistance, Inc. and an active member in Soledad where she resides.
Padilla-Chavez was praised for convening and leading a coalition of more than 30 non-profit and governmental organizations named the South [Santa Cruz] County COVID Triage Group. The effort provided financial and legal assistance, housing retention and behavioral health support to residents impacted by COVID-19. Congratulations, Erica!
Great things are happening here! Wishing you a great day!
Be well,
Jackie Cruz
Vice President,
Advancement and Development
and Executive Director for the
Hartnell College Foundation
PREPARATION IS KEY
Tatiana found just what she needed at Hartnell
“I have always known I love music – I knew it early on in my life – I remember performing for family and friends all the time,” said Tatiana Magdaleno, a sophomore at Hartnell College. “I came to Hartnell and it solidified things for me.”
Magdaleno, 20, is a double major in English and Music at Hartnell College and a Salinas Valley Promise student. Her goal is to become a music professor. She feels inspired particularly by the teaching and support of professors Sandy Rudo and Steve Ettinger.
“All the music instructors at Hartnell are amazing as instructors and fantastic as people,” she said. “When I met Sandy and Steve, they opened my eyes to more; so, I want to teach music but also music theory.”
When she came to Hartnell two years ago, Tatiana was accepted into the Killian Scholars program. Jack R. and Suzanne W. Killian generously included Hartnell College Foundation in their estate plans, giving $1.4 million to establish the Jack R. Killian and Suzanne W. Killian Endowed Scholarship. The annual income from this fund is used to provide scholarships to students majoring in music at Hartnell College who have experienced hardship. In addition to the outright gift, Hartnell College Foundation also received the partial residue of the trust estate, which supports the music scholars and is known as the Jack R. Killian and Olivia B. Killian Endowed Scholarship.
This, she said, was a turning point in her preparation as a musician. “The Killian Scholars committee wants us to succeed, it’s like a little family,” she said.
The Killian Scholars program offers her a scholarship, private vocal and piano lessons, one-on-one sessions with a music instructor, weekly cohort meetings, music theory instruction, field trips, and performance opportunities.
Recently, Tatiana had to audition at San Jose State University for admissions into their music program. She feels the Killian Scholars program prepared her to nail her audition.
She said that during the audition, “I was asked to perform a classical Italian piece followed by a musical theater piece – I just went into full character.”
To no one’s surprise, the panel of judges loved her. She was accepted into the program on the spot. In addition, she was offered a scholarship.
“Without Hartnell and being a Killian Scholar, I wouldn’t have had the time to improve myself,” she said.
Tatiana was born and raised in Salinas and graduated from Salinas High School. Her parents, Veronica and Rene, along with her brother and twin sisters, are proud of her successes and also participate in her love of music. The family, including her siblings and cousin have their own band, TNT and the Explosions with Tatiana’s mom serving as band manager.
Tatiana loves many of the things a typical young woman might, like video games and roller skating occasionally. She is also eager to travel, and was accepted into the Boronda Program at Hartnell, which supports students’ love for the arts and exposes them to national and international venues each year. The Boronda program was made possible by a gift from the estate of Lester D. Boronda, which provides funding for “students of unusual promise in the arts” to study and travel under the direction of a Hartnell College instructor. As part of the program, students receive funding for air and ground transportation, lodging, and meals.
The Hartnell College Foundation congratulates Tatiana Magdaleno in all of her achievements and wishes her all the best in her future endeavors. Who knows, perhaps she will, in a few years, be one of our music instructors here at Hartnell. Congratulations!
REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTION
Making an impact through giving
Are you looking for a way to make a significant impact in support of the Foundation’s work but do not know how? An option is to make a direct gift from Your IRA.
IRA Rollover Gift
If you are at least 70 ½ years old, you can make a gift of up to $100,000 per year from your IRA account directly to the Hartnell College Foundation. This may be the easiest way to make a gift to help our cause. Because your gift may count toward your required minimum distribution, it can reduce your income and taxes this year.
Let us help you
To learn more about the benefits of making a gift of your assets to support our cause, please contact Director of Philanthropy, Kristine Edmunds at kedmunds@hartnell.edu or by phone at (831) 755-6903. We can work with you and your advisors to develop a plan that meets your goals.
Are you looking for a way to make a significant impact in support of the Foundation’s work but do not know how? An option is to make a direct gift from Your IRA.
IRA Rollover Gift
If you are at least 70 ½ years old, you can make a gift of up to $100,000 per year from your IRA account directly to the Hartnell College Foundation. This may be the easiest way to make a gift to help our cause. Because your gift may count toward your required minimum distribution, it can reduce your income and taxes this year.
Let us help you
To learn more about the benefits of making a gift of your assets to support our cause, please contact Director of Philanthropy, Kristine Edmunds at kedmunds@hartnell.edu or by phone at (831) 755-6903. We can work with you and your advisors to develop a plan that meets your goals.