Six Sodexo student employees were awarded scholarships to help pay for their costs at Simpson. 

According to Julia Neer, the general manager of Sodexo at Simpson, these scholarships are given out to students who work for Sodexo that show high work performance and good attendance. 

There were two $1,000 and four $500 scholarships awarded to students. Those students were Jonathan Camacho, Angela Lopez, Taylor Williams, Guadalupe Valladares, Delia Matos Hernandez and Leah Edel. 

Scholarships can be a saving grace to students who are left with student debt or are paying their way through school. 

“It has taught me to be more disciplined when it comes to scheduling and keeping up with my work and school because I depend on my income to pay for school and any extra needs,” junior Guadalupe Valladares said. “Sodexo has been amazing because they pay above minimum wage and they are located here on campus. The fact that I can get a scholarship is amazing because it takes away some financial burden. I am very grateful.” 

Valladares has worked in Simpson in Pfeiffer since March of 2019.

“This scholarship will really help me as a student,” said Leah Edel, a junior who has worked for Sodexo at Au Bon Pain since her first year at Simpson. “I am going to travel for May term so it will help me pay for that, and it also just helps with taking a little bit off of my total costs here at Simpson.”

Other students are grateful for the real-world experiences that working for Sodexo has been providing them with.

 “I have learned so many things during my time here that will help me when I look for a job after graduating from college,” said Jonathan Camacho, a junior who has been working for Sodexo for about eight months. “There is always lots of work to do, but I have always said the busiest you keep yourself the better.”

Students also feel like being awarded this scholarship means their hard work is being recognized by the people around them. 

“This scholarship definitely is great because it’s hard paying for college, but this is helpful. It also makes me feel good because it means my supervisors see the hard work I do,” said Angela Lopez, a junior.

Lopez has worked for Sodexo for three years, working mainly in ABP.

“I am very grateful for having been awarded one of the Sodexo scholarships. To me, this scholarship means that all my dedication, time and work has been recognized among other people which is one of the best feelings ever,” Camacho said. 

Providing students with jobs that help them pay their way through school, recognizing their hard work and awarding them with a way to relieve part of the financial burden is what Sodexo has done for these students through their scholarships