The MVLA Community Scholars awarded 24 students with scholarships this year, the highest number of students yet. All the recipients are the first generation in their family to go to college, and will have have access to renewable scholarship funds and trained mentors in the program.

Many of the students are recent immigrants from places like Mexico, China, India and the Philippines, representatives said. At an average GPA of 3.43, the students participate in after-school activities like basketball, gymnastics, football and the robotics club, according to a press release by the Community Scholars program.

The students plan to attend colleges including San Francisco, San Jose and Humboldt state universities, as well as University of California at Merced and at Berkeley, Santa Clara University and Foothill College. Many of them are pursuing degrees in engineering, computer science and law.

The scholarship money provides "gap funding," or the different between the cost of education and what the students receive in other grant and loan money, According to the Community Scholars website, recipient awards range anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 per year.