Student Experience
Celebrating impact: The Sabatte Family Scholarship
The inaugural cohort of Sabatte Family Scholars is wrapping up their first year at UC Santa Cruz. Several scholars recently gathered with members of the donor’s family to celebrate the generous vision of the late Richard Sabatte.
A recent gathering celebrated the members of the inaugural cohort of the Sabatte Family Scholarship. Photo credit: Carolyn Lagattuta
Christian Fajardo Hernandez chose UC Santa Cruz for the university’s strong academics, beautiful campus, research opportunities, and sense of community. The first-year computer science major felt instinctively that UC Santa Cruz was the right choice for him. In September 2024, three weeks before the fall quarter began, he received an email solidifying his decision.
Fajardo Hernandez learned he had been selected as a Sabatte Family Scholar, his hard work and perseverance paying off with a full-ride scholarship to UC Santa Cruz. The scholarship will cover the complete cost of his attendance—tuition, housing, books, and living expenses for the next four years—freeing him to pursue his academic journey with confidence.
“I am extremely grateful for the Sabatte Family Scholarship for the opportunities it opens up for me,” Fajardo Hernandez said.
Honoring a visionary’s legacy
The Sabatte Family Scholarship was made possible through the generous support of alumnus Richard “Rick” Sabatte, who established the scholarship as part of his will. The university announced his roughly $20 million gift in September 2024.
“This scholarship meant so much to my uncle,” said Jonathan Westen, Sabatte’s nephew and estate trustee. “He wanted to help people and provide a different pathway forward. These students represent the future of the country in the way that Rick saw it. We are incredibly excited to hear stories about the students’ journeys and their many successes that lie ahead. They are Rick’s legacy.”
Empowering future leaders
The inaugural cohort of 40 Sabatte Family Scholars represents California’s vibrant communities — talented students who bring unique perspectives, remarkable resilience, and bold ambitions to campus. Students like Christopher Zaraga, who is leveraging his passion for both medicine and technology to pursue a double major in computer science and bioinformatics.
“I was inspired to double major after the passing of my grandfather,” Zaraga said. “A hospital in his community wasn’t able to tend to him properly because of faulty medical equipment that doctors believed was due to programming issues. I’ve always loved computers and wanted to be a doctor, so why not pursue something that could benefit me and others in the medical field?”
Chancellor Cynthia Larive, who took part in the gathering with the cohort and Mr. Sabatte’s family members, said she is thrilled for Zaraga and others in the first group of Sabatte Family Scholars, noting that they reflect the future of California and the nation.
“This first cohort is incredibly talented, and I am so excited to see what they accomplish at UC Santa Cruz over the next three years and the impact they will have as alumni,” Larive said. “These students are the workforce we need in the United States. They’re the talented people who are going to lead our country.”
The initial cohort of Sabatte scholars represents 18 counties across California. Their majors range from literature and education to computer science, anthropology, environmental studies, and business and film. Together, they are tomorrow’s scientists and makers, artists and creators, justice seekers and innovators, changemakers and leaders.
Riley Sheppard Keeney plans to pursue a master’s in education and wants to become an elementary or high school teacher. She appreciates the confidence the Sabatte Family Scholarship has given her to reach her dreams.
“To receive this kind of help from someone who doesn’t even know me, who believes in me simply because they want to help me achieve my goals, is humbling and overwhelming in the best way possible,” she said. “I hope to honor that generosity by passing it forward in the future.”
Carlos Medina is studying business and film and says receiving the scholarship will allow him to focus on his passions and success at UC Santa Cruz. He hopes to create a documentary about the impact the scholarship makes on students like himself.
Jasmine Chau, a computer science major, plans to use her UC Santa Cruz education to create applications to help Vietnamese immigrants, like her parents, build upon their rich cultural heritage while establishing meaningful connections and contributions as new members of American society.
“Most apps designed to help the Vietnamese community navigate are made with the American mindset; I want to make applications with Viet people at the center, improving on translations and English to Vietnamese communication,” Chau said. “The scholarship is allowing me to fully immerse myself in my education and take advantage of everything UC Santa Cruz has to offer. I look forward to the amazing people and mentors I’ll gain here!”
The Sabatte Family Scholarship will be awarded to about 50 students annually for the next 30 years, after which the scholarship funds will have been expended, as requested by the donor. Students will be automatically considered based on their admissions and financial aid applications; UC Santa Cruz recently notified the next group of prospective students that they have been selected to receive the scholarship. This second cohort would bring the total number of Sabatte scholars on campus to 105 for the 2025-26 academic year. Richard Sabatte’s gift will ultimately boost the trajectories of more than a thousand high-achieving students.
“These students are the personification of what my uncle was hoping for,” Westen said. “We can’t wait to watch them go forth in the world and do all the wonderful things we know they are going to do.”