Central Unified students earn 26 scholarships at annual awards ceremony

Janessa Ramirez’s legacy anchored a night that sent 26 Central Unified students home with scholarship money, nine of them through awards in her name, as the Foundation for Central Schools marked its 10th year handing out scholarships. The nine memorial awards matched the age Janessa was when she was killed in west central Fresno in 2015, tying the ceremony to a loss that still carries emotional weight for many Fresno families.

The Foundation for Central Schools says its mission reaches beyond scholarships. It also supports Central Unified students with grants, clothing, food and community help, making the awards part of a broader effort to keep students on track when financial pressure could pull them off course. The Janessa Ramirez scholarship program began in April 2016, when six Central Unified seniors each received $2,500, and it later expanded with an additional scholarship in 2020.

Jessica Harrington moderated a panel with four scholarship recipients, giving the evening a more personal feel than a simple check presentation. The students talked about their educational and personal journeys and the goals they hope to pursue in college. Among those on the panel were Stacey Gonzalez, Andy Alvarado and Joe Doyland, names that put faces to a program designed to help Fresno-area students move from high school into higher education.

The awards also reflected how long Janessa Ramirez’s memory has been woven into the district’s public life. Janessa was a 4th grader at Steinbeck Elementary when she died, and a mural commissioned by Samantha Lazcano was unveiled in her honor in 2021, when seven high school seniors received $2,500 awards and 31 Central Unified students had received scholarships to date. By April 2025, the program had grown to 87 scholars and more than $200,000 in total awards, turning a memorial into a lasting investment in Central Unified graduates headed for college and careers.