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UCSD Senior Tearfully Thankful for $1 Billion Scholarship Program

UC San Diego has raised a billion dollars for scholarships and medical research, among other things. The money is part of a campaign that began seven years ago. KPBS reporter Nicole Lozare explains wh

UCSD Senior Tearfully Thankful for $1 Billion Scholarship Program

UC San Diego has raised a billion dollars for scholarships and medical research, among other things. The money is part of a campaign that began seven years ago. KPBS reporter Nicole Lozare explains what a billion dollars can mean for one student.

UCSD senior Sarahi Loya is really nervous. She's tearfully thanking a crowd, some of them millionaires. She couldn't have gone to college without their help, she tells them. Her parents have a sixth-grade education.

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Loya : My dad's a construction worker and he wouldn't have been able to pay while I'm in school or after I graduate, because there's just not enough.

The Chula Vista resident received a full scholarship to UCSD. As a student, she volunteered to find doctors for poor people in Mexico.

Now she's on her way to medical school. She wants to be a pediatrician for poor kids.

She promises to one day return to UCSD, this time as another generous graduate.

Nicole Lozare, KPBS News.