USA Properties Fund Awards Five Scholarships

Roseville, Calif.- Five students in Northern California will attend college this fall because of their dedication and hard work – and with help from the J.B. Brown Scholarship Fund.

The five students – four from Sacramento and another from Santa Rosa – will use the financial assistance to begin or continue their higher education, from American River College to the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“We’re extremely proud,” USA Properties Fund Inc. President Geoff Brown said during a recent ceremony honoring the students in Roseville. The company’s employees helped raise money for the scholarships. “You’re seeing the evidence of where the money is going.”

Beth Southorn, executive director of LifeSTEPS, an affiliated nonprofit that helps residents in USA Properties Fund communities and a partner in the annual scholarship program, echoed Brown’s comments.

“There’s not an employee here who is not making an impact,” she said. “These are the people you help every day when you turn on your computer.”

The students were eligible for the J.B. Brown Scholarship Fund as residents of USA Properties Fund communities.

Two students received $7,500 scholarships and three were awarded $750.

“We’re doing more than building rental houses,” said Mr. Brown, who has announced a $100,000 goal for the scholarship fund next year, double the amount from this year.

Student and scholarship recipient Angelique Boyi, who moved from her native Rwanda to the U.S. and the Sacramento region, will use the financial assistance to enroll in the registered nursing program at Sacramento City College.

“This is very, very important, thank you so much,” Boyi said to USA Properties staff. “I’m looking forward to finishing nursing school and going back to my community and helping out.”

Student Pamela Hoyt, a third-time winner of the scholarship, also plans to help her community, especially women and children dealing with domestic abuse.

“The monetary part and the support … I can give it back to so many people,” she said. “I can change so many lives.”

The five scholarship recipients are:

• Angelique Boyi of Sacramento: Boyi will transfer from Cosumnes River College to Sacramento City College, where she plans to enroll in the registered nursing program.
• Dashei Franklin of Sacramento: Franklin will attend the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she plans to earn an undergraduate degree in psychology and then pursue a graduate degree in physical therapy.
• Pamela Hoyt of Sacramento: Hoyt will attend American River College and complete her bachelor’s degree social science/ethnic studies. She has attended the University of Phoenix and needs one more class to earn her B.A.
• Liliya Kulibyk of Sacramento: She will continue her education at Sacramento City College and complete the cosmetology program. Kulibyk moved to the U.S. from Ukraine.
• Jeremy Lessnau of Santa Rosa: Lessnau, who graduated from Rancho Cotate High School in June, will attend the University of Santa Cruz, where he hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in competitive writing and minor in electronic music. He would like to compose screenplays and musical scores for movies.

LifeSTEPS — a Fair Oaks-based nonprofit that provides educational and support services to empower residents with the skills, resources and support they may need to maintain stable housing and break the cycle of poverty – is a partner in the annual scholarship program with USA Properties.

The J.B. Brown Scholarship Fund is named after USA Properties Fund founder J.B. Brown. USA Properties Fund community residents are eligible to apply for the scholarship, which helps provide tuition assistance to qualified high school graduates and adult learners to attend two- or four-year colleges or universities. The fund raised $33,000 in 2011.