Vista Irrigation District has awarded college scholarships to six high school seniors and selected three fourth-grade students from the local community as winners of two separate district‑sponsored contests.
Naia Riggenbach from Pacific Ridge High School and Riley Robbins from Rancho Buena Vista High School received $2,000 scholarships, and Monica Lozada from San Marcos High School and Colin Gastauer, Sarai Rojas and Samantha Harris all from Vista High School received $1,500 scholarships as winners in the Vista Irrigation District 2023 scholarship contest.
Belinda Chacon, a fourth grade student from Grapevine Elementary, received first place honors from the district for her entry in the 2023 Water Awareness Poster Contest. She received a $100 award. Olivia Rye from St. Francis School received a second place award of $50 and Caroline Noesgaard from Casita Center received a third place award of $25 for their entries in the contest.
The purpose of the scholarship contest, which is open to high school seniors living or attending school within the district’s service area, is to increase the knowledge and awareness of water related issues affecting Vista Irrigation District. The district received twelve applications this year.
The poster contest, which targets students in the fourth-grade, is designed to promote understanding of water issues in elementary schools. This year’s theme was “Love Water, Save Water.” The three winning posters were selected from 189 entries based upon their depiction of the theme, artwork, originality, and poster design. Sophia’s poster will appear in the 2024 Water Awareness Calendar, which will be available, free of charge at the district’s office in November 2023.
Vista Irrigation District is a public agency governed by an elected five-member board. The district provides water service to roughly 134,000 people in the city of Vista, and portions of San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, and unincorporated areas of the county of San Diego.
