SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The RBO Scholarship Program Through The Years

2024 Scholarships

We had another fantastic group of young runners participate in the Senior Scholarship Program in 2024! The applicants attended monthly meetings to discuss topics such as goal-setting, financial planning, and preparing for college and career success. Every student completed a half-marathon and wrote two essay reflections - one about their experience training for the half-marathon and one about their experience in the race itself.

To complete the community service requirements for the application process, students volunteered at the Lake Merritt Gardens, visited the Alameda County Community Food Bank to pack potatoes into bags, and revitalized lakeside garden beds with the Lake Merritt Weed Warriors. We truly enjoyed working alongside all of these students at training practices, in meetings, and community service opportunities and we can not wait to see what they go on to accomplish in their college and career journeys!

Please join us in congratulating Jayden Khaoone, Juliana Miao, Analy Morga, and Kimberly Pelayo on graduating from high school and receiving scholarship awards! We also had two dedicated alumni that actively participated in Running for a Better Oakland as run mentors this season - please join us in celebrating Luis Orlando SanJuan and Yarely Morga on receiving alumni awards!

A group of ten young people standing outdoors on grass, holding oversized checks, with trees and a tall white building in the background.

2022 Scholarships

Congratulations to our 9 graduating seniors! This year, we awarded $24,600 in scholarships to our seniors, as well as to 4 RBO alumni. We celebrated with our first in-person scholarship ceremony in 2 years! Surrounded by their family, coaches, and members of the RBO board, our seniors were handed their giant checks and shared a few words about their time with RBO. We are so proud of each and every one of them, and wish them success as they embark on their next chapter!

This fall, our seniors are headed off to fantastic schools and opportunities - UC Berkeley, UC Merced, UCLA, College of Alameda, Laney College and The Marines to name a few.

Congratulations to Christus, Alex, SongXi, Wilder, Daniel, Yarely, Liyah, Priya, and Clark!

Group of young people holding large checks, standing outdoors in front of a blue and yellow tent with the text 'Running for a Better Oakland', surrounded by trees and a tall building in the background.

2023 Scholarships

At the end of our Spring 2023 season, we celebrated 7 high school seniors and 6 alumni that earned scholarships through RBO! Watching from the crowd as our coaches spoke about the incredible accomplishments of each runner was a fantastic reminder of the transformational impact that dedicated coaching, meaningful athletic opportunities, and a community of support can have on young people.

Thanks to the generous contributions of our supporters, RBO was able to distribute more than $20,000 to graduating seniors and RBO alumni this year. Please join us in congratulating Brian Arellano, Jason Arellano, Ket Buhler, XiaoFeng Lin, Anlisa Liu, Diego Perez, and Juan Perez on receiving Senior Scholarships!

Also please join us in congratulating Chun Huang, Daniel Morga, Rubi Morga, Yareli Morga, Chris Ramirez, Luis Orlando SanJuan, and Alex Velasco on receiving Alumni Scholarships! Thank you to all of the family, friends, and community members who joined us at Snow Park to help celebrate our 2023 award recipients!

Group of people outdoors holding large symbolic checks, some wearing blue hoodies, others face masks, standing in front of large trees in a park.