Back row left to right: Aura Bryan, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations; Richard LeRoy, Vice President for University Advancement; Sally Parks, Yardi's Vice President for Human Resources; Helene Schneider,
Regional Director of Development; and Eva Gomez, Director of Annual Giving & Special Gifts.
Front row left to right: Sarah Bridich, Yardi's Director of Corporate Philanthropy;
Yardi student scholars Jarrell-Eden Asuncion and Sarah Subia; and President Richard Yao.
A gift of $501,000 from Yardi® will support renewable full-tuition scholarships for at least 20 first-generation students at CSUCI over the next decade.
The Yardi Scholarship builds on a history of support for higher education by the Santa Barbara-based property management software company. An industry-leading provider of software solutions for real estate companies around the world, Yardi has over 8,500 employees globally and more than 1,300 based in California.
“Supporting education is a core pillar of Yardi’s corporate philanthropy,” said Yardi Senior Vice President Jay Shobe. “We believe in the life-changing impact of a college degree, especially for first-generation scholars, and we are thrilled to partner with CSU Channel Islands to help these students achieve their goals.”
Beginning this academic year and extending through 2032, Yardi will support two renewable $7,000 scholarships a year, up to a maximum of eight renewable scholarships annually.
Scholarship recipients must be full-time, first-generation students who are Pell Grant-eligible and interested in majoring in Applied Physics, Business, Computer Science, Economics, Environmental Science & Resource Management, Information Technology, Mathematics, or Mechatronics Engineering.
“The Yardi Scholarship is a testament to Yardi’s longstanding commitment to its community and to providing educational opportunities for the underserved students in our region,” said Richard LeRoy, CSUCI’s Vice President for University Advancement. “This gift will have a profound impact on CSUCI’s first-generation students, who constitute 60% of our total student body and will be the drivers of our region’s future prosperity.”
The first two Yardi Scholars are first-year students Sarah Subia and Jarrell-Eden Asuncion, both of Oxnard. Asuncion, a graduate of Oxnard High School, is majoring in Computer Science.
“This scholarship will assist me in reaching my goal by eliminating one of the main worries of the world – money,” he said. “I deeply appreciate the opportunities it will provide.”
Prior to entering CSUCI this fall, Subia spent five years in the U.S. Navy as an electrician and was deployed to the South China Sea and the Middle East. She is pursuing a degree in Information Technology with the hope of becoming a government security analyst.
“I am truly grateful for this opportunity and, one day, hope to give back in the same way,” Subia said. “This scholarship helps reduce the financial stress of being able to pay for school expenses. I will be using the scholarship to help with books and supplies to be able to succeed academically.”