Congratulations to the following Scholars who completed this year’s program:
• Adriana Torres Ceja – University of California, Los Angeles
• Brandon Tran – University of California, San Diego
• Brenda Gonzalez-Rayo – University of California, Los Angeles
• Emma Barker – University of California, Berkeley
• Jennifer Flores – University of California, Berkeley
• Jolie Nguyen – University of California, Los Angeles
• Krishna Madhav – Stanford University
• Laura Walton – University of Southern California
• Madison Richards – University of California, Los Angeles
• Monica Tavassoli – Stanford University
• Rediet Retta – University of Southern California
• Ruben Anguiano – University of California, Berkeley
• Samantha Lee – University of California, San Diego
• Shania Santana – University of California, Los Angeles
In the last four years, the Merritt Scholars program has celebrated 70 graduates, 79% of whom have actively taken an interest in pursuing a career in the affordable housing industry. Many of these Scholars have a personal journey or lived experience that has inspired them to make significant changes to have a lasting impact on future generations.
As a cornerstone of our Commitment to Community (C2C) initiative, the Merritt Scholars program plays an important role in strengthening our affordable housing future. Year after year, we are inspired by the passion, talent, and leadership each cohort brings to the industry.
We look forward to welcoming our 2026–2027 cohort at the end of June—stay tuned for updates!
About Merritt Community Capital Corporation
Merritt Community Capital Corporation is a mission-oriented affordable housing funder that serves the state of California. For more than 35 years, Merritt has been a trusted partner, investing more than $1.7 billion and creating over 12,500 affordable homes across California. Beyond investing in properties, Merritt invests in people. Through its Commitment to California initiative (C2C), Merritt proudly spearheads programs across the state that attract, train, and retain current and future affordable housers.
Merritt is also the west coast member of the National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF), which empowers locally engaged, mission-driven housing and community investment partners to build thriving communities. By partnering with mission-aligned organizations and developers in the affordable housing space, Merritt ensures the most critical communities are developed and maintained for low-income residents.