Endowed Scholarship Index

Dawn Pickering Celebration Endowed Scholarship

Dawn Pickering was born and raised in Orange County. After graduating from Santa Ana High School, she continued her education at UCI where she earned a bachelor’s degree in dance. She spent a large part of her adult life traveling the world as a professional dancer. Back in the states, she was part of the Solid Gold Las Vegas show. Dawn joined the IVC Family in January 2013 and immediately embraced her work and all that IVC stood for. Her career at IVC lasted nearly 10 years and was cut short when Dawn passed away after a four-year battle with cancer in March of 2023. Dawn is remembered as an individual who was incredibly organized and brought a special touch to everything she did. Her passion for her job, attention to detail and love for IVC students was evident to everyone who interacted with her. Her colleagues, family and friends created this scholarship as a legacy for the woman who brought light, laughter, and celebrations to IVC.

Dr. Donald L. & Sandra F. Rickner Endowed Scholarship

Don and Sandy Rickner helped found and grow IVC through its first nearly twenty years, from 1982 until 2000. They were and are dedicated to the mission of IVC including the crucial role scholarship support plays in the lives and success of IVC students. This was an integral part of their time at IVC as Don was the founding Executive Director of the Foundation.

Dr. Shungnak L. and Ruth L. Kim Endowed Scholarship

Awarded to liberal arts majors with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who are involved with or are in support of Korean American culture or programs.

Dr. Stephen Rochford Endowed Music Scholarship

This scholarship was created to honor Dr. Stephen Rochford’s lifelong impact on the Music Department at IVC. During the 27 years that Dr. Rochford taught at IVC, he interacted with hundreds of music students. Most developed a lifelong passion for music, some went on to have careers as professional musicians, and others followed in his footsteps as music teachers. Not only did he impact a large number of students, but he also knew that to build and maintain the quality of the program he would need to secure funds from outside sources and, through this, became an excellent fundraiser. Through his efforts, and those who followed in his footsteps, the department now has the largest endowment on campus.

Dr. Xiaoqing Chen and Dr. Gary Rybold Endowment for Excellence in Communication

Dr. Gary Rybold taught and coached in the Communication Studies Department at IVC for 30 years. During his tenure, he coached the IVC Speech and Debate team to 18 national championships. Dr. Xiaoqing Chen was a debate coach in the People’s Republic of China when Dr. Rybold had a sabbatical to teach in Xi’an. They fell in love and were married in 2001. This U.S./China connection extended to educational opportunities with over 130 IVC students and faculty participating in debate activities in China. Both Gary and Xiaoqing did their doctoral research in China.

Drs. William and Barbara Jay District Trustees Endowed Scholarship

William Jay, Ed.D. spent most of his educational career at SOCCCD. He held many administrative of fices including president of Saddleback College, vice chancellor of human resources, and math faculty member. After retiring, he was a trustee for ten years before his passing. His wife Barbara Jay, D.D.S., was selected and then elected to take his place as a trustee. This scholarship was started to carry on their work of supporting community college students.

Dwight Collins Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Dwight Collins enjoyed a fulfilling career teaching computer science at IVC. He loved teaching and supporting IVC students along their educational journeys. As one of the faculty who joined the college in the early 1980s, he also helped set the cornerstones which enabled the college to grow into what it is today.