Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad is pleased to announce an annual scholarship for eligible students within Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. We have established the Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship. An annual scholarship of $1000 will be awarded based on merit to a qualifying student pursuing a degree or technical training in the Industrial Arts.
2025 Scholarship Award:
We are pleased to announce the 2025-2026 recipients of the Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship are Andrea Guzman-Soto from Pioneer High School (Santa Maria) and Dominic Sousa from Righetti High School (Santa Maria). Both will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo starting in Fall 2025.
Dominic (left) and Andrea (right) were presented their awards at this year's Santa Maria Valley Railroad Annual BBQ. Their families proudly attended the ceremonies with them.
Apply for Academic Year 2026-2027 Awards:
Academic Year 2026-2027 Application:
An application for the 2026-2027 academic year will be posted here for download before September 15, 2025.
Amount of Scholarship Award:
$2,500
Application Deadline:
Apr 30, 2026
Eligibility:
An applicant must be enrolled (or accepted to attend) at the time of application as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university, or a full-time industrial arts technical training student on the Central California Coast (San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara Counties). Applicants must be enrolled in courses in industrial arts, technical vocational training, or industrial engineering courses including industrial arts, industrial technology, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and agricultural engineering. Preference to applicants preparing for a career in railroads. Eligible schools are: Hancock College, Cuesta College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of California Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara City College.
Application Process:
Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year will be accepted between September 1, 2025 and Apr 30, 2026. All materials, including references letters and transcripts, must be postmarked via US Mail or submitted via email/on line by Apr 30, 2026 to be considered. The 2026 application timeline is as follows:
1.) Application Window: September 1, 2025 to Apr 30, 2026.
2.) Candidate Notification: May 15, 2026.
3.) Awards Presentation: August 15,2026
The application must consist of the following:
1.) The application downloaded above.
2.) An official transcript from high schools, vocational schools (as applicable), and colleges (as applicable) attended for all work through prior year (arrange to be sent directly to Friends-SMVRR via US Mail or email).
3.) Three letters of recommendation (arrange to be sent directly to Friends-SMVRR via US Mail or email).
All materials should be submitted to the following US Mail address or email address:
FRIENDS OF THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY RAILROAD
P.O. BOX 1031
SANTA MARIA, CA 93456-1031
scholarship@friends-smvrr.org
If you have questions or problems, contact us via email at: scholarship@friends-smvrr.org