Pomona Kiwanians with the 2026 Scholarship recipients. Photo by Abraham Aldaraca. | | Kiwanis Club of Pomona celebrates four Pomona Unified School District graduates with scholarships | | |
The Kiwanis Club of Pomona held its annual Scholarship Banquet on April 22, 2026, honoring four Pomona Unified School District students who have demonstrated exceptional academic promise and a commitment to making a difference in their community.
The Academic Excellence and Community Leadership Scholarship is awarded to graduating high school seniors who participate in Key Club at one of the public or private high schools in Pomona.
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Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers working to improve the world one child and one community at a time, said Kiwanis Club of Pomona President Mitch Stein.
“But here in Pomona, Kiwanis is much more. Like the city of Pomona, our local Kiwanis Club felt the impact of COVID in a real way. But just like this community, we didn’t stay down for long. As Pomona continues to come back stronger, more connected, and full of renewed energy, we have grown alongside it,” Stein said. “If you look around, Kiwanis is a coalition of community members for all of the city. We have a singular purpose. Stronger families, stronger community and stronger kids equal a stronger Pomona.”
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Many of the local Key Clubs went dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona Kiwanian Diane Elias worked with local Key Club officers and advisors to reconnect with our Club and to help the Key Clubs grow and thrive. This is the second year our Club held a scholarship dinner and honored local students, and our scholarship program continues to grow. Last year, we awarded a $500 scholarship to Pomona High School graduate Daniela Rodriguez. This year, our Club awarded four $1,000 scholarships to four high school graduates:
Daniel Hernandez-Garcia, Garey High School
Nathalie Gutierrez, Pomona High School
Nancy Huang, Diamond Ranch High School
Lilian Lu, Diamond Ranch High School
| Left to right: PUSD Superintendent Darren Knowles, Diamond Ranch Key Club Adviser Tara Tavi, scholarship recipients Nancy Huang, Lilian Lu and Daniel Hernandez-Garcia, Pomona High School Counselor Jay Tolbert, scholarship recipient Nathalie Gutierrez, and Garey High School Key Club Adviser Amber Slater. Photo by Abraham Aldaraca. | | |
We were able to increase the scholarship amounts thanks to the generosity of Gilbert and Terese Resendez and Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Darren Knowles, who donated directly to the scholarship fund. We also thank Daniela Rodriguez (pictured, right, with Nathalie Gutierrez) for returning for the banquet and supporting fellow Pomona High graduate Nathalie and the other scholarship recipients.
During the ceremony, held at Metro Event Center in downtown Pomona, the scholarship recipients were introduced by their respective Key Club advisers and school representatives. Amber Slater, the Key Club Adviser for Garey High School, introduced Daniel Hernandez-Garcia.
“This award is not only a testament to his academic dedication, but more importantly to the character, leadership and positivity he brings to every space he enters,” Slater said. “What truly distinguishes Daniel is his positive outlook. No matter the challenge, he approaches situations with optimism and determination in moments where others might feel discouraged.”
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Daniel continued to challenge himself to grow in his time at Garey High, she said.
“He stepped into a leadership role within the club, taking on greater responsibility in helping guide the club’s mission to support the community,” Slater said. “His commitment to service, his initiative, and his ability to lead with empathy made a lasting impact on the organization and the people it serves.
Hernandez-Garcia said Key Club is not only a club, but a way he can give back to the community and help others.
“I would like to take some time to give my sincerest gratitude to not only the Kiwanis organization but also to my club advisor, Ms. Slater, for being a wonderful teacher and adviser to me, and to all the donors here for believing in me and helping students just like me pursue our dreams,” Hernandez-Garcia said. “Thank you for this incredible honor. Your investment in my education is an investment in the future I hope to build and I promise to make the most of this opportunity.”
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Pomona High School Counselor Jay Tolbert said Nathalie Gutierrez has a heart of gold.
“She is a leader on our campus and she has shown numerous times how much she cares about not only our campus, our students, her peers, but the city of Pomona,” Tolbert said. “Her resilience and her strength is not about avoiding hardships but it’s about rising in spite of it. Her leadership shows in moments of personal struggle that we can all lift others up.”
Gutierrez said Key Club has been an eye-opening experience, allowing her to engage with different people while performing community service.
“My time in this club will be unforgettable as it will help me in the future with communication, participation and socializing skills. My favorite memory from being in Key Club was helping decorate homes for Christmas on Columbia and being able to decorate my own home with the members of Key Club from my school,” she said. “My plans for the future is to attend Mt. San Antonio College and to transfer to Cal State Long Beach to obtain a bachelor’s degree in interior design.”
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Diamond Ranch High School Key Club Adviser Tara Tavi said she was always impressed with the dedication that Nancy Huang brought to her work in her AP Art class and in sharing her culture through her dance group.
“She brings that level of dedication to nearly everything she does. I often see her walking in her beautiful uniform getting ready to do a performance for the school band,” Tavi said. “She is a big member of our Key Club at Diamond Ranch, and she is always there, steady, steadfast, committed and dependable. I’m proud of you. You’ve been such a beautiful, wonderful person at our school.”
“Throughout my time in Key Club, I had the opportunity to serve my community in meaningful ways, whether it was volunteering at events, helping others, or serving as secretary,” Huang said. “These experiences have taught me the importance of responsibility and leadership and they also helped shaped who I am today. The scholarship also encouraged me to continue giving back to my community. As I move forward to college, I will carry this with me, and what I have learned from Key Club and continuing to give back to my community. I would like to sincerely thank the Pomona Kiwanis and the Scholarship Committee for your generosity and for believing in me. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity.”
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Tavi also introduced Lilian Lu, bringing with her a beautiful card that Lilian gave her during a health scare.
“I was so touched by that gesture. I always kept that as a reminder of your energy. You are a beacon of light,” Tavi said. “I’m so proud of you and I know you’re going to go far. I’m excited to see where you go with your public policy (major) because I feel like you are going to be uplifting all of us. Thank you so much for serving the city of Pomona and serving Diamond Ranch in particular.”
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Lu served as president of the Diamond Ranch Key Club and worked with Pomona Kiwanis Board member Diane Elias to build a strong relationship between the two clubs.
“In this short time together, Pomona Kiwanis has provided much support to our club. We were able to attend Fall Rally, continue with our recycling sessions, and further engage in Pomona local community events,” Lu said. “Our club is grateful for all the support Pomona Kiwanis has provided so tonight, on behalf of Diamond Ranch Key Club, I would like to thank all the Kiwanis members for making this year such an extraordinary year for us.
“I am deeply grateful to receive this scholarship,” she added. “It has provided me with significant financial support, helping me pave the way for my future academic pursuits and furthermore Kiwanis inspired and reinforced my vision for how I want to contribute to my community in the future.”
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Thank you to our Gold Sponsors:
Gilbert and Terese Resendez
Thank you to our Bronze Sponsors:
Christmas on Columbia – Kim Johnson
Linda Lowry
Practice IQ Consulting – Diana Avila
Sonia and Francisco Ballardo
Stein Team Realty – Mitch Stein
Stephen Quintero
Special thank you to Daniela Franco and Metro Event Center for giving our club a discount on the facility.
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Service project: Pomona Police Department
National Night Out
5-9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026
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Our next service project will be cooking and serving food and drinks at National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
National Night Out is a national community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships. The Pomona Police Department will be setting up booths and activities outside the station.
The event runs from 6-8 p.m. We will begin setting up at 5 p.m., and clean up will be from 8-9 p.m. The Pomona PD address is 490 W. Mission Blvd., Pomona. We will be setting up on the west side of the station (near Park Avenue and 6th Street).
All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Pomona PD Explorer program. Please come out for a fun night, and invite friends, family and prospective members.
Please sign up directly on this shared document: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/134GGbecoSUMW2mW-1BbHGc-Z-Gh2WBS3nG50rReOA6U/edit?usp=sharing
| | Mark your calendar: Annual membership dues | | The Kiwanis year ends on Sept. 30, 2026. Annual dues must be submitted prior to the end of September in order to remain in good standing with the Club. Annual dues remain $210 for the year. Email invoices will be sent out within the next few weeks. Please get your payment in early so we are able to keep our roster up to date. | | |
Meeting Reminder
Our next regular lunch meeting will be at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 at Pomona Eagles Lodge, 954 W. Mission Blvd. Pomona.
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Kiwanis Club of Pomona, 101 W. Mission Blvd. Ste. 110-370
Pomona, CA 91766
Meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.
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