A decade ago, Joel Macias, Miguel Tapia and Frank Sanchez were just Merced High students without any particular career aspirations. Today, they remain close friends with distinct and growing careers, and they are looking to pay it forward.
Macias, Tapia and Sanchez recently founded the Emerging Global Leaders Scholarship at Merced College. All three completed transfer requirements at the college en route to their four-year institutions, and they wanted to create a scholarship to benefit transfer students with similar ambitions.
“The purpose of the scholarship is to mentor and inspire students to become world leaders,” Macias said.
Currently, the trio is awarding one $2,000 scholarship each year, but they hope the amount and impact can grow with participation from fellow alumni.
“It’s a great day when our alumni realize how much Merced College prepared them for success,” said Jill Cunningham, Executive Director of the Merced College Foundation. “Anytime they’re motivated to give back, we all win.”
The three men agree that Merced College was a perfectly small, familiar place where they could forge relationships with professors and classmates and grow as individuals.
“We could never have gotten that kind of experience at a four-year university,” Tapia said. “Merced College was so immersive and interactive, it really made us think, ‘How can we give back?’”
In May, stuck between two scholarship candidates, the three awarded two scholarships of $1,250 to two transfer students: Roman Rodriguez, an aspiring public servant headed to UCLA; and Ramses Gutierrez, who will attend Cal State Stanislaus and intends to pursue a career in law.
The three alumni are using the scholarship to inspire students to seek careers in government, the military, or STEM, and then become leaders within those areas.
“I’m excited,” Sanchez said. “I get to participate in this cool thing and show some generosity to the place where I grew up.”
It all began at Merced High.
“None of us were so serious then,” Macias said. “We were just kids trying to have a good time. It was a decade before we were in a position to give back.”
The three first-generation Mexican-Americans then became the first in their families to attend college.
“We didn’t know what a B.A. was when we got to Merced College,” Tapia said. “We didn’t know how to get to a four-year university from a community college. We had to share what we learned, but we were really enthusiastic about figuring it out.”
At Merced College, they encouraged each other to get involved. Sanchez served as a public relations officer with the International Club. Tapia served as a treasurer for the Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) honor society. And Macias served as a secretary for Phi Theta Kappa. Tapia and Macias were also student senators for the Associated Students of Merced College (ASMC).
Macias eventually graduated from UCLA with degrees in Political Science and Arabic Studies. He also was afforded the opportunity to study abroad throughout Europe and Jordan. The U.S. Army captain now works abroad as a Governance Officer.
Tapia, who also studied abroad at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, earned a B.A. in Economics with minors in statistics and global sustainability from UC Irvine. Now a business operations analyst dealing with process automation and data management for E&J Gallo Winery in Modesto, Tapia also founded LillyPad Ergonomics, which manufactures ergonomic office chairs in Merced.
Sanchez said that while he struggled academically in high school, Tapia and Macias were always ambitious. Seeing his friends do well in college energized and motivated him.
“I had a lot of catching up to do,” Sanchez said. “But while I was working to become a stronger student, I ended up appreciating the work I had to put in. Miguel and Joel would encourage me all the time, ‘Hey, don’t settle for an associate degree. You can do it. Get your bachelor’s.’”
After receiving a B.A. in English Literature from Simpson University, Sanchez worked with the Health & Human Services Agency in Shasta County for several years. He’d always wanted a career in higher education, and now he works as a degree evaluator at a California Community College.
“We didn’t know where to start with the scholarship, but we felt that same way when we first entered Merced College,” Tapia said. “That feeling drove us to seek out new places for ourselves. Now it’s driven us to put this scholarship together.”
Scholarship winners also receive mentoring from the men involved.
“We’ve talked about how great it would be to increase the amount by adding some fundraising,” Sanchez said. “We just want to do this as long as we can.”
“Merced College was so immersive and interactive, it really made us think, ‘How can we give back?”
Miguel Tapia | Merced College Alumnus
Get Involved Today
The Emerging Global Leaders Scholarship (EGLS) was founded with the belief that Merced College alumni and supporters can make a lasting impact on the next generation of leaders. The future success of students depends on the strength and generosity of our community.
Those who feel inspired to contribute to EGLS can reach out directly to Miguel Tapia at [email protected] to learn more. Your contribution, no matter the size, can provide more students with the financial support and mentorship they need to succeed.