Pat Zaharopoulos (’66), a retired California deputy attorney general, and a former member of the board of directors of the UCR Alumni Association as well as the UCR Parents Association, drew inspiration from her own college experience to create the Nick and Christina Zaharopoulos Endowed Student Award Fund. Taking effect in the 2009-10 academic year, it was established with a gift of $25,000 in honor of her parents, immigrants who fled from civil war in Greece in 1951 with their four children.
Why Give?
As a UCR student on a Regents Scholarship, Zaharopoulos majored in political science with a minor in history. She was the first person in her family to go to college. Zaharopoulos’ parents, who studied only to grade-school levels, believed that education was crucial. They worked multiple jobs to make higher education accessible to their children — an opportunity they never imagined for themselves. Zaharopoulos hopes the scholarship will provide “upward mobility for working-class students.”

Who Benefits?
The undergraduate scholarship targets juniors and seniors from immigrant families who have a world view, and public service or nonprofit work plans. It also encourages students who attended community college in order to save money for their families or help younger siblings follow them to university. “Most immigrants go to community college and live at home to save money, then go to a four-year school,” notes Zaharopoulos. These students often need a helping hand at a crucial juncture in their education to reach their goals.

Correction: In the Winter issue of the UCR magazine, the terms for repayment of the Ramsey emergency loans were misstated. The loans need to be repaid by the end of the semester following the semester in which the loans were received.