One of Fillmore’s brightest high school seniors is among 104 Southern California recipients awarded $2,000 college scholarships from Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Southern California. She was recently honored at an awards luncheon hosted by the McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California.

Susana Amezcua of Fillmore High School was selected to receive an RMHC scholarship based on a number of criteria including grade point average, community involvement, leadership skills, letters of recommendation and financial need. The college funds were awarded through four RMHC scholarship programs: RMHC/African American Future Achievers, RMHC/Asian Pacific American Students Increasing Achievement, RMHC/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources and RMHC/Scholars. Scholarship funds can be applied toward tuition, fees and other appropriate educational expenses.

“This is among the most accomplished group of high school seniors in the 20-year history of our local scholarship program,” said Nicole Rubin, CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. “Our organization is thrilled to provide financial support to these amazing scholars as they pursue their dreams of higher education.”

Since 1990, the Southern California chapter of RMHC has awarded nearly $3.4 million in scholarship funds to local students to help make their dream of a college education a reality. Funding for the scholarships is made possible through the global and Southern California chapters of RMHC and the fundraising efforts of local McDonald’s owner/operators and corporate staff. McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California pays for all administrative costs of the Southern California scholarship program including producing and distributing the applications and hosting the recipient recognition event.

For more than 30 years Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California has been dedicated to creating a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy. In addition to four scholarship programs, the organization operates five Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and a Community Grants Board. For more information, visit www.rmhcsc.org or www.twitter.com/rmhc_socal.

McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California is comprised of more than 600 franchised and company-owned McDonald’s restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.