Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Edgar Vasquez Rodriguez, left, Fallbrook High School scholarship winner, poses with Principal Narciso Iglesias and a mock-up of the $1,000 check presented by Northgate Market.
Edgar Vasquez Rodriguez, middle right, receives a $1,000 scholarship from Northgate Market, helping him celebrate are from left, Francisco Solis, coordinator of migrant education; Jorge Dominguez, manager of Northgate Market's marketing and graphic design; Tatiane Avalos, human resources manager for Northgate Market; Agustin Hernandez, assistant store team leader of Northgate Market; Monica Ruiz, director of migrant education; his mother Jovita Rodriguez, holding balloons; Maricela Garcia, migrant education advocate at Fallbrook High School; Alex Tamayo, FHS migrant education project specialist and, in front, Narciso Iglesias, principal of FHS.
FALLBROOK – Edgar Vasquez Rodriguez, a graduate of Fallbrook High School, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship for migrant education students by Northgate Market.
Vasquez Rodriguez is from Guatemala and arrived in Fallbrook in December 2017. Maricela Garcia, program advocate for migrant education at FHS, said, "Edgar is a student who works hard and is very responsible. When Edgar started FHS, he knew that it was not going to be easy being in a new country and his biggest obstacle was this new language, English."
Garcia said that Vasquez Rodriguez enrolled in ESL night classes at Palomar College to learn English faster.
"Surprisingly Edgar received all As, except for one C in his algebra class, his first semester at FHS," she said.
Vasquez Rodriguez received mostly As every semester throughout his two and half years at Fallbrook High. He also won the 11th grade Spanish Regional Speech competition in 2019 in San Marcos. Going on to the state competition to represent Region IX, he won first place in both 11th grade Spanish Prepared Speech and 11th grade Spanish Extemporaneous Speech.
He was also the 2020 Migrant Education, Region IX Honor student. This year's contest was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Vasquez Rodriguez wrote a speech on gun control, according to Garcia.
In her recommendation for the scholarship, Garcia said, "Edgar displays a number of other skills and personal characteristics which contribute to his success and make him an excellent candidate for college... He works various jobs during summers and on weekends to help out his family... Edgar is thoughtful, honest and constructive in his criticism of others and in turn accepts criticism gracefully. He is highly analytical and learns from every experience... Edgar is the type of student that teachers look forward to having in their classes and other students admire and respect.
"In short, Edgar is that driven individual who will do whatever it takes. I give him my highest recommendation for this scholarship," Garcia said.
Vasquez Rodriguez will be attending California State University San Marcos in the fall.
Submitted by the San Diego County Office of Education, Migrant Education Program.
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