Don Diego Fund Employee Scholarship
Offered by Don Diego Scholarship Foundation
About this scholarship
The Don Diego Fund Employee Scholarship is the employment-based pathway in the Don Diego Scholarship Foundation’s 2027 college program. The foundation lists $10,000 in awards for this category; that figure is the category pool, and the amount received by an individual student varies with annual selection. Applicants must document employment before the application year with the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Premier Food Services, or an eligible Fairgrounds contractor. The current online application is due by midnight on March 30, 2027. Applicants identify their employer, employment years, supervisor and contact information, job title, responsibilities, honors, and their Fairgrounds experience. They also provide school and postsecondary plans, work history, activities and service, a high school transcript, a biographical essay of no more than 500 words or 3,000 characters, and contact details for two recommenders. The foundation looks for academic achievement, leadership, organization, innovation, community contribution, and a meaningful connection to Fairgrounds activities. Funds are sent to the selected student’s institution after enrollment is verified and must ordinarily be used within four years. A student may apply in only one main Don Diego category, and previous foundation scholarship winners are not eligible to apply again.
Eligibility
- Be a San Diego-area resident graduating from high school by July 31, 2027
- Have worked before the application year for the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Premier Food Services, or an eligible Fairgrounds contractor
- Provide employer, supervisor, job-duty, and Fairgrounds-experience information
- Plan eligible postsecondary study and provide school information
- Submit a high school transcript, biographical essay, and two references
- Apply in only one main Don Diego scholarship category
- Not be a previous Don Diego Scholarship Foundation winner
- Complete the online application by midnight on March 30, 2027