Annual Pizza Party Celebrates SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Scholarship Students

Every December, the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) education committee invites its college scholarship students and their guests to a pizza party. The event, held at Kids’ Closet in Mammoth, is an opportunity for SBCO to recognize the students’ academic achievements and for the students to visit with their education committee liaison and other students. The event is timed to coincide with the students’ winter break when many come home to visit family for the holidays.

This year, 42 students registered to attend the party, with many joined by family members and friends. In addition to the students and their guests, the event was attended by members of the SBCO education committee and their spouses and scholarship endowment fund donors. In attendance were two graduate scholarship recipients: Angelita Casillas and Clarissa Gonzalez. Angelita graduated from University of Arizona in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and is now obtaining her master’s in public administration. Clarissa received a bachelor’s degree in social work and is now working on her master’s degree in the same field at Northern Arizona Univeristy. Both scholarship recipients talked about how important their undergraduate and graduate scholarships from SBCO had been to their academic success. In addition to the money received, the students also appreciated the support provided by their education committee liaison as they adjusted to campus life and the academic demands of college.

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Darlene Carlson, who sponsored a Women in Science scholarship for a graduating high school senior in 2024, spoke about her desire to foster future scientists through her philanthropy. Darlene explained how when she graduated from high school in a class of 30, women were given no guidance about career opportunities in scientific fields. But despite this, she went on to do research for 3M and after college helped develop VHS tape. She plans to continue funding the scholarship in 2025. The first scholarship recipient, Ann Mary Terrence, also attended the party.