Yesterday, today, and tomorrow intertwined in sparkling harmony at the June 27, 2025 Don Diego Scholarship Foundation Gala at the San Diego County Fair. The lively evening attracted scores of guests, including San Diego society, to the Corona Beach House and was capped by VIP seating at the Jon Pardi concert.
The Gala was a celebration of this year’s 25 stellar recipients sharing $93,500 in college scholarships as well as a look back at past accomplishments and a preview of future efforts as Don Diego energetically moves forward to mark its 40th anniversary of transforming today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders in 2026.
Heralded by Board Chair/emcee Kirby Morrison as “the cream of the crop – perhaps our best group of recipients ever,” Don Diego’s 25 in ’25 hail from all corners of San Diego County. Exhibiting an eclectic array of academic excellence, robust pursuit of agricultural and STEM innovations, and idealistic ambitions, they are headed to prestigious universities, including CalTech, Cornell, MIT, Northwestern, and Cal Poly.
Some, such as Kelsey Weller, embark on trailblazing paths. She told Gala-goers, “I will be using my $2,500 Vocational Education scholarship to achieve a Welding degree, followed by five years of work in the field, to ultimately be a Welding Inspector.”
Future Social Worker Jamie Newton attended with her beyond-proud grandmother, Pat McCollough, who raised Jamie and her two siblings while holding down a demanding job. Jamie confided, “I intend to follow in the footsteps of my grandmother, a respected San Diego County Social Worker.”
Anton Hester and his mother, Maria, discovered that the $3,500 Junior Livestock Auction scholarship he’ll use as a pre-Veterinary student at the University of Idaho emanates from the legendary Ramona cattle family, the Tullochs. The Hester family also includes longtime cattle ranchers with an ongoing enterprise in Aurora, Oregon.
Francisco and Juana Canseco bubbled with pride as they accompanied their daughter Anairis, the first in her family to attend college and one of 2025’s top recipients, who will use her total $25,000 to matriculate at Brigham Young University on her way to becoming an Immigration Attorney. Anairis sought out Board member George Karetas and his family, so she could thank them personally for their endowment scholarship. Longtime Board member and generous donor George Karetas said, “It is a pleasure to attend the Gala so I can meet recipients and learn about their impressive goals.”
2020 Scholar Nikki Arias arrived to update the Don Diego community on her accomplishments, reporting, “I graduated from UC Davis and now plan to pursue a Master’s degree!” and to reconnect with Board member John Hoeflich, whose CGW Family Foundation funded her $20,000 scholarship. Nikki exuberantly declared, “I would never have been able to achieve what I have so far and continue on to what I want to accomplish in the future without Don Diego!”
The feeling of confidence in this year’s recipients and optimism for their future and the future of our community and country permeated the Gala. Among the articulate Scholars thanking donors, first individually and later on stage, was effervescent Mariah Morris, who echoed her fellow students’ sentiments as she told the crowd, “On behalf of all of us, we thank Don Diego donors for your support!”
In a special tribute to founding Don Diego Board member Joe Harper, who also has led the Del Mar Racetrack to unparalleled success during his 47-year tenure, Morrison called Joe “my colleague, and friend – the most dedicated, passionate, generous Board member I have had the privilege of working with.” With characteristic modesty, Harper said his service “has been a labor of love. It has been a pleasure to support these students and our community.” In Harper’s honor, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club donated a $5,000 scholarship and an auction item as legendary as he is: four VIP tickets to opening day at the races.
Other iconic opportunities auctioned off by Board member Frederick Schenk, Don Diego’s own auctioneer extraordinaire, included a Padres home plate experience, fine dining and concerts, a deluxe Croatia cruise, and the popular “Donuts for a Year” provided by Board member Mark Arabo.
Executive Director Ashley Colburn McCaughan summed up the event’s significance, saying, “Seeing the excitement and anticipation in our recipients and their families, and the joy in our Board members, scholarship donors, and Gala guests, makes the event memorable. We thank everyone who had a part in this sparkling event and who continue to make an impact through their donations to our Foundation.”
The Don Diego Scholarship Foundation was named for Don Diego, AKA Tom Hernandez, who served as San Diego County Fair’s welcoming goodwill ambassador from 1947-1984. Since its inception in 1986, the Foundation has awarded $1,510,344 in scholarships to 434 students and in Plant*Grow*Eat agriculture education grants, which enable elementary students from San Diego area Title 1 schools to learn about agriculture and nutrition while enjoying a day at the Fairgrounds.