Big Poet Give 2023

With an initial goal of $50,000, the Gloria Molina L.H.D. ’14 Latina Leadership Scholarship will exist in perpetuity to support a Latina student exhibiting exemplary leadership on campus and in their community. 

In 1991, Gloria Molina became the first Latina ever elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. To many observers, Molina’s accomplishment represented both the growing formidability of the Latino electorate and the determination of voters of all backgrounds to elect a leader to office who understood their needs. Her tenure as county supervisor produced dramatic results both because she insisted county services be streamlined for maximum effectiveness and because she brought to fruition major capital endeavors that improved Los Angeles County residents’ quality of life—particularly Molina’s First District constituents.

In 2014, Molina was formally recognized as a Whittier Poet upon receiving an honorary degree from the Whittier College faculty: a doctorate of humane letters (L.H.D.). “Whittier College is an example of what other colleges and universities in California—and the nation—should be aspiring to,” said Molina. “Not only is Whittier College matriculating a record number of Latino students, but the faculty, staff, and administration are making sure that these young people achieve their academic goals, graduate, and become successful professionals.”

Providing words of advice to the students Molina said, "I must remind you to look forward and remember your sense of duty and responsibility, to set the example, and be the leader that you must be in whatever career you choose. That you will set the highest standard of work ethic, responsibility, and duty. That you will continue to open doors to college opportunity, by either donating to scholarships, mentoring college students, serving in organizations that continue to promote higher education, or in our community, because, of course, we recognize that our community must continue to build great leaders in this country."