Mother and Daughter Win Same Scholarship One Year Apart

Taking classes with your mom might sound awkward, but for Gizelle and Marilyn Fuentes, it led to something incredible: winning the same scholarship exactly one year apart.

The mother-daughter duo both study American Sign Language at Fullerton College in California. In 2025, Marilyn earned the Doug and Ann Myles Family Osher Scholarship for high-achieving humanities students. This year, her daughter Gizelle won the exact same award.

Their professor Eddie Gutierrez nominated Marilyn after watching her excel in ASL courses. Gizelle earned hers through academic excellence during her first year, competing among multiple scholarship opportunities.

"Scholarships provide much-needed resources for students to remain enrolled and graduate," said Dr. Lisa Nashua, Executive Director of the Friends of Fullerton College Foundation. "The awards help our students understand that we believe in them."

While both study ASL, their career paths look very different. Gizelle started at Fullerton through dual enrollment while still in high school. She's now pursuing three credentials: associate degrees in ASL and automotive technology, plus a welding certificate.

Her goal combines two passions. She wants to work as a welder and mechanic while interpreting for Deaf and Hard of Hearing workers in those industries.

"Welding and automotive jobs are often noisy, and communication can be difficult, which adds extra challenges and safety risks for Deaf workers," Gizelle explained. "I think sign language and better awareness about accessibility should be more common in skilled trades."

Marilyn brings years of interpretation experience to her studies. She's worked in special education, early childhood education, and as an international nanny interpreting in English and Spanish. She speaks seven languages, following in her mother's multilingual footsteps.

"I promised myself that I wanted to be able to interpret for Deaf patients and their families to the best of my abilities," Marilyn said. "I believe that in my time at Fullerton College, I am getting the best ASL core requirements met."

Sunny's Take

What makes this story special isn't just the matching scholarships. It's watching a mother and daughter support each other's dreams while sitting in the same classroom. They study together for exams, share learning moments, and celebrate each other's wins.

Both plan to transfer to California State University campuses after Fullerton. Gizelle is eyeing CSU Northridge for welding and mechanics. Marilyn wants to explore ASL, Deaf Studies, and linguistics at a CSU campus.

The scholarship has been recognizing outstanding humanities students since 2011, but the Fuentes family has given it new meaning: sometimes the best education happens when generations learn side by side.