MAR VISTA — Neighborhood Youth Association (NYA) marked its 43rd Annual Scholarship Celebration on Saturday, June 6, awarding more than $55,000 to college students and recognizing milestones in diocesan leadership at an event hosted by St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Mar Vista.
During the celebration, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles’ Bishop-elect Antonio J. Gallardo Lucena was introduced as the incoming chair of NYA’s board of trustees. Bishop John Harvey Taylor was also recognized for his decade of service as he approaches retirement.
A new scholarship fund established in Bishop Taylor’s name received a major gift from the Immaculate Heart Community, presented by Dr. Sherry Purcell, the community’s president. Taylor then presented the evening’s first scholarship to Khayla Hernandez, a civil engineering major at California State University, Long Beach. Additional scholarships and special awards followed, presented by Sonia R. Hernandez, NYA’s program director, for a total of some 20 additional recipients.
The Rev. Jennifer Wagner Pavia, rector of St. Bede’s, welcomed attendees and noted the parish’s ongoing partnership with NYA, including donated space that supports the organization’s flagship afterschool learning center. Hospitality for the evening was coordinated by vestry officer Alice Short.
NYA is a non-sectarian program founded in 1906 through the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. It continues a mission of supporting college-bound students overcoming socioeconomic barriers, many of whom are the first in their families to pursue higher education, with a program goal of 100% college placement for applicants.
