Yuri Ulloa Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Mary Baez, an adjunct professor at Riverside City College and Yuri Ulloa’s fiancee has chosen to establish a scholarship in honor of her late fiancee Yuri Ulloa, at the RCCD Foundation. Yuri Ulloa was an outstanding Associate Professor who taught at Riverside City College for the last 16 years in the Automotive Department. Mrs. Baez wants to make sure he is remembered as the loving, caring, selfless, and happy human being that he was.
Yuri was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States at the age of 18. From a young age Yuri, among many things, was both creative and inventive. He loved knowing how things worked and discovering how they were made. As a child and even as an adult he loved taking things apart just to put them back together. During his time in the US, he grew a passion for cars and airplanes. His passion motivated him to become automotive mechanic and later reaching one of Ford’s top levels as a Master Mechanic. Yuri also obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and a Master’s Degree in Spanish Literature. Being a professor the last 16 years at RCC, Yuri was able to build a foundation for his students where they could not only learn about cars but also what to do with their careers once they completed their studies at RCC. Yuri’s enthusiasm and love for his job was shown through his lectures and in the lab where most of the work was done. In the past few years, Yuri grew an interest in flying and purchased his first Gyrocopter. His passion for flying motivated him into waking up at 4 AM every Saturday morning and driving several miles out to El Mirage Dry Lake. He spent most of his day flying and would often describe his time as “very peaceful”. On September 16th, 2017 Yuri passed during a tragic accident on his Gyrocopter. RCC was truly Yuri’s second home and holds many memories of him, and although he’s no longer here, his legacy will live on forever.

Basic requirements and reviewer notes:
Major: Auto Collision Technology and Automotive
Cumulative GPA required: 2.0
Financial need required: Yes
Student activities, volunteer work required: No
Other special requirements: Applicant should write an essay explaining how they plan to use their education in their chosen career