The Clean Power Alliance Voyager Scholarship was established in May 2019 by CPA’s Board of Directors to support students pursuing an education and career in renewable energy such as electric vehicles and advanced transportation technology, energy and environmental science, and alternative energy.
The $105,000 in funding is equally distributed to seven schools within CPA’s service area: Antelope Valley College, Compton College, East Los Angeles College, Rio Hondo College, Ventura College, Oxnard College, and Moorpark College. These institutions were chosen for their locations within Los Angeles County and Ventura County and their robust sustainability programs.
Recently, several students from Antelope Valley College, located in Lancaster, shared why sustainability and renewable energy are key to their ambitions, and how the Voyager Scholarship aided them on their green energy journey.
Kleio Ramasodi, a second-year electrical engineering major at Antelope Valley College, dreams of one day making renewable energy technologies such as solar and electric cars accessible to lower income families.
“I really want to start with making things like solar panels and other eco-friendly devices such as electric cars more affordable to low-income families and to people who aren’t super wealthy,” said Kleio. “There is absolutely no reason for a solar panel to cost as much as a car and an electric car shouldn’t be more expensive than a gas one because this ends up costing less in the long run.”
The goal of the Voyager Scholarship is to help nurture the growing local renewable energy workforce while developing the next generation of green energy leaders. To create the Voyager Scholarship, CPA worked with our Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to evaluate scholarship distribution options before working with the CPA Board of Directors to officially launch the scholarship program.
Mikaela Ruiz, a recent graduate from Antelope Valley College with an associate degree and certificate in Electrical Technology, believes that solar power and renewable energy are critical in places that receive as much sunshine as her home county. “I was moved to work in the electrical field because solar power is so big in Lancaster due to the almost year-round sunshine we receive,” said Mikaela. “I dream of really advancing far in the solar industry, and I could see myself leading a business that expands on solar panel installation. Solar power is such a growing industry, and I would like to contribute to it in some fundamental way.”
When the scholarship award announcement was made, Kleio said she was surprised and grateful because it helped relieve some of the financial pressure of paying for college. “I felt really grateful when I received the scholarship. I was also slightly surprised that there is a scholarship for students with a major towards an environmentally friendly career. I was really excited and honestly just grateful; the scholarship has taken a lot of financial burden off me.”
Learn more about the Voyager scholars at cleanpoweralliance.org/cpavoyager.
