ANAHEIM -- The Angels and the Angels Baseball Foundation awarded 24 high school seniors from the Orange County and Los Angeles area with four-year scholarships through its Angels Scholars Award program, the club announced Tuesday.

The program was created in 2016 and awards the students a four-year renewable scholarship. The scholars are selected based on academic achievements, financial need, community involvement and the desire to achieve a higher education. The funds are applied to primary undergraduate expenses such as tuition, room and board, healthcare, textbooks and tutoring.  They also have access to Angels baseball staff for advice and organizational skills.

“The Angels Baseball Foundation is extremely proud to play a role in the lives of these special students as they continue the next chapter of their educational journey,” said Angels Baseball Foundation president Dennis Kuhl.  “These students embody what we consider ‘Championship Standards,’ characteristics that create a strong foundation to become future leaders. Their continuing success through education becomes a positive not only for our organization, but more importantly for our community.”

The students were chosen based on recommendations from their high school's AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, high school counselors and non-profit organizations they work with, including Girl Scouts of Orange County, Families Forward and Samueli Academy. The winners are attending universities such as Stanford, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon and UC Irvine.

This year also marks the first class of Angels Scholars graduating from the inaugural program in ‘16. The eight graduates are Christopher Camacho (Tufts University), Laura Chavez (Chapman University), Edith Estrada (Pepperdine University), Judith Estrada (UCLA), Vanessa Gonzalez (UC Irvine), Alexis Herrera (University of San Francisco), Enrique Roman (Union College) and Erika Vargas (UC Merced).