OAKLAND, Calif. — The Peralta Colleges Foundation has selected four students to receive the Oakland A’s Sports Management Endowed Scholarship Award. Xingzhen Ma (Laney College), Jafet Ortega (Berkeley City College), Nathan Quach (College of Alameda), and Erica Williams (Merritt College) will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to apply toward college tuition and expenses. The scholarship recipients will also be eligible for future internships with the A’s.

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.

“We are proud to support and invest in the education of dedicated students through our annual Oakland Athletics Scholars Program,” said Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval. “These students are facing such adversity as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, and we hope these scholarships provide relief and assistance during this difficult time.”  

“As an Oakland native, I am incredibly grateful for the Oakland Athletics’ investment in Peralta Colleges. The partnership demonstrates the A’s belief and value in the power of education and the importance of working together to build our region’s workforce,” said Peralta Colleges Foundation Executive Director LaNiece Jones. “During these unprecedented times, the Oakland A’s Sports Management Endowed Scholarship Award is proven to be invaluable in the lives of four driven and deserving students whose livelihood has been extremely challenged due to the onset of COVID-19.”  

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.