The $20,000 in aid from Edison International Foundation was initially granted to the Eastern Sierra Foundation, on whose all-volunteer board Supervisor Griffiths serves as treasurer, in response to the government shutdown that delayed CalFresh (food stamp) benefits to 2,087 Inyo County residents and their families.
The Eastern Sierra Foundation is incredibly proud to celebrate a major milestone for our local nursing students. On December 11th, 2025, a LVN Pinning Ceremony was held at the Bishop Campus Community Room, marking the transition of twelve dedicated individuals from students to healthcare professionals.
ESF PRE-COLLEGE SUMMER PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP Hear from the students who participated in the pilot program: My law course was both exciting and informative, but the thing I loved most at camp was spending time with friends I made there. Some were from San Diego, some Ohio, and one was from Taiwan, but all of the people I met were kind, smart individuals that I clicked with instantly. It was also very refreshing to meet likeminded kids that care about school and academics, which, as much as I love Bishop, is a hard thing to find here. It was the experience of a lifetime and I will forever be grateful for your support.
The Eastern Sierra Foundation (ESF) distributed a total of 135 scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic year (17 for Summer, 68 for Fall, and 50 for Spring), and is already on pace to support 70 students this fall. This crucial financial aid ensures local students from Inyo County to have the resources to pursue their educational goals, directly addressing the barrier of college affordability.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Eastern Sierra Foundation and Southern California Edison for creating the ESCC Transfer Scholarship,” Dutton said. “This support will allow me to continue my education at the University of Nevada, Reno, and pursue my dream of working in science.
The Inyo Promise provides students a pathway to success — free from the financial strain that others have to endure — through both Cerro Coso Community College and the University of Nevada, Reno.
Miguel Gomez is the Eastern Sierra Foundation’s latest choice to receive a $10,000 transfer scholarship. Miguel’s story is an improbable one. He is now 28 years old. He quit college on two different occasions before he finally stuck on his third try. Some courses, like English 101, "I probably retook four times," he said with a rueful grin. In retaking classes, he was able to wipe the past failures from his record and bump his grade-point average from a 1.2 to a 3.6. That, you math whizzes out there, is improvement by a factor of three!
Madelyne Bigham and Dakota Reynolds are the recipients of the 2023 $5K transfer scholarships from the Eastern Sierra Foundation (ESF).
The Eastern Sierra Foundation honored Dr. Nickoline Hathaway yesterday with a tile placed along the Pioneer Pathway at Cerro Coso Community College’s Bishop Campus. Dr. Hathaway, who retired earlier this month after 35 years of patient care from Northern Inyo Hospital, was recognized for her generous contributions to the Eastern Sierra Foundation. Through donations from community organizations and local residents, the ESF awards full scholarships to any Inyo County resident who attends Cerro Coso’s Bishop Campus full time. Since 2003, the ESF has awarded approximately 1,400 scholarships worth nearly $1.4 million. The Pioneer Pathway – the entrance to the Bishop Campus –celebrates major donors with one-of-a-kind tiles. Ceramics Professor Theresa Otto designed and created the tile presented to Dr. Hathaway.
One hundred new scholarships are now available for all Inyo County residents who enroll for the Spring 2021 semester at Cerro Coso Community College. Since the college will be offering a largely online program in the spring due to COVID-19, ESF will be covering the cost of online as well as on-ground courses. Open registration for Cerro Coso’s Spring 2021 semester begins November 19th. Scholarship applications are available online at https://www.easternsierrafoundation.org. All Inyo County residents enrolled in at least one Cerro Coso course are eligible. The scholarship application deadline is Thursday, December 17th at 5PM. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis up to 100 scholarships or while funds are available.
