Hartnell College student wins $20K scholarship

Wednesday was a big day for one Hartnell College student who ended up being one of only a handful of people chosen for a big scholarship.

Julio Medina is a father of three. He also attends school full-time and works late night shifts at Carl’s Jr. to support his family. Now he’s getting a lot of help making his college dreams come true.

Medina was one of just ten students chosen for the PG&E Bright Minds scholarship. He’ll get $20,000 for school for the next 5 years. Medina was told about the scholarship during a surprise meeting at Hartnell College Wednesday morning. He was chosen out of 4,000 applicants.

College officials said he got the scholarship thanks to his dedication to school and his good grades. It wasn’t easy to get this life-changing gift. Medina said he applied for the scholarship last year and was denied. But that didn’t stop him from trying again.

“I have a will. I don’t need that anymore. I just needed the boost that would help me because anyone can have a will. I’m happy that there are people out there that believe in people like me,” Medina said.

With the money, Medina is hoping to get a degree in mechanical engineering. The first thing Medina did once received word about the scholarship, was call his wife and his parents.