OAKLAND, Calif. — The Peralta Colleges Foundation has selected four students to receive the 2021 Oakland A’s Sports Management Endowed Scholarship Award. Sophia Butler (Laney College, Business Administration), Betselot Gulilat (College of Alameda, Business Administration), RJ Ishimaru (Berkeley City College, Business Administration), and Sabryna Sablan (Merritt College, General Business) will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to apply toward college tuition and expenses. 

The scholarships are part of the Oakland Athletics Scholars Program (OASP), established in 2018 as part of the A’s $100,0000 endowment to the Peralta Colleges Foundation to support scholarships for students. OASP provides four scholarships annually to students enrolled in a variety of disciplines, including Business; Digital Media and Communications; Information Technology; Hospitality/Retail; and Environment and Sustainability.

“I am sincerely honored to have been selected to be a recipient of the Oakland A’s Sports Management Endowed Scholarship,” said recipient Sophia Butler. “This generous gift not only aids in my pursuit toward completing my degree requirements, it also affirms my decision to return to school.”

“This scholarship recognizes my value and will assist me in beginning my four-year college education in the fall of 2021,” said recipient Betselot Gulilat. “This is a huge opportunity for me!” 

“I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for choosing to invest in my education and the lives of others I hope to reach with it,” said recipient RJ Ishimaru. “The team’s generosity will never be forgotten.” 

“This scholarship reminds me that I am fulfilling my purpose and I am on the right path. By receiving this scholarship, it means the world to me to be acknowledged for all of my hard work and dedication. I now know that it isn’t going unnoticed,” said recipient Sabryna Sablan. 

The OASP scholarship is available to qualified students from all four Peralta Community Colleges: Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College. For more information on scholarships through the Peralta Colleges Foundation, visit peraltafoundation.org.