Scholar Stories
From Desert Mountains to UCLA
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When Jimena Ochoa got into her dream campus, the price tag nearly closed the door. A hometown scholarship kept it open.
When Borrego Springs graduate Jimena Ochoa got the chance to choose where to finish her bachelor’s degree, she suddenly had what many small-town students dream of: options. After years of hard work she was accepted to several “amazing schools,” and she said yes to the one she had always wanted, the University of California, Los Angeles.
Then she saw the price tag. With an estimated $42,000 in yearly costs, the excitement of going to UCLA was quickly shadowed by the fear that it might be financially out of reach. “I began to feel that my dreams were starting to slip away,” she wrote in a letter to BASIC, the Borrego Springs nonprofit that had awarded her a local scholarship.
Jimena appealed for more aid and secured grants to cover her tuition and fees, but there were still plenty of bills left: a housing deposit, orientation fees, transcript costs, class supplies, and a laptop she needed to keep up in her courses. The BASIC scholarship stepped in to bridge that gap, helping her cover those remaining expenses and start her first year at UCLA on solid footing.
- Hometown
- Borrego Springs
- Campus
- UCLA
- Yearly cost
- About $42,000
- What BASIC covered
- The gap the grants left
Seen, valued, and cared for
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping alleviate the financial burden that many first-generation students are intimidated by, and reminding us that we are seen, valued, and cared for,” Jimena wrote. For her, BASIC’s support isn’t just about money. It is a tangible sign that her small town believes she belongs on one of the biggest stages in public higher education.
The mountain barriers that surround Borrego Springs aren’t tall or strong enough to stop a child with even bigger dreams.
Jimena Ochoa
Jimena also points to something every rural student from Borrego Springs understands instinctively: geography can feel like destiny. She wrote about what it means to leave for “the huge city of Los Angeles” while knowing that an entire community is still behind her. She says she goes with “no fear,” confident that supporters back home are “cheering me on every step of the way.”
One of dozens of stories
Her story is one of dozens that have emerged from BASIC’s scholarship program, which helps current and former Borrego Springs High School students, as well as local adult learners, pursue education at vocational programs, community colleges, and universities across the country. The scholarships are part of BASIC’s broader Cradle-to-Graduation approach, which works to ensure that Borrego residents have educational support at every stage of life: infancy, preschool, K–12, college, and beyond.
BASIC’s leaders say that for many students the biggest barriers are not admission letters or academic ability, but the everyday financial pressures that accompany higher education: housing deposits, transportation, technology, and the long list of “required” items tucked into class syllabi. Local scholarships can’t erase every obstacle, but they can mean the difference between delaying enrollment and moving forward, between piecing together part-time credits and committing fully to a degree.
Jimena’s letter is a reminder that when small communities invest in their students, the impact stretches far beyond a single semester. Each contribution, from individual donors, businesses, and partner organizations, sends a clear message to first-generation and rural scholars: your dreams are valid, and you don’t have to chase them alone.
Inspired by Jimena’s journey?
BASIC’s scholarship application window for the 2026–2027 academic year is open from March 2 through March 13, 2026. Local high school seniors, former Borrego Springs students, and adult learners who meet residency or work requirements in the Borrego Springs Unified School District area are all encouraged to apply.
Eligibility, timeline and FAQs