Mar Vista High School scholarship recipients were honored in a ceremony Wednesday evening, among them Valedvictorian Anselmo Fuentes, who received a $350,000 scholarship from The Gates Millenium Scholars Program, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to U-T San Diego, Fuentes is one of 19 students countywide and 1,000 nationwide to be selected for the scholarship and mentoring program. He plans to attend Brown University.

About 100 students guaranteed admission to San Diego State University as part of the Compact for Success program were also recognized.

Among other top scholarship recipients:

– Nick Sangsuwan will receive $35,000 from the Lipinsky Scholarship;

– Kevin Urzua will receive $12,000 from the Don Truesdail Memorial Education Scholarship;

– and Natasha MacAskill will receive up to $10,000 from the Kyoto Prize Symposium Scholarship.

Students also received scholarships from the Imperial Beach Optimit Club, Imperial Beach-South Bay Kiwanis Club, Imperial Beach Women’s Club, Sweetwater Women’s Club and the Imperial Beach Jungle Ball Assocation Scholarship.

Roughly 35 students who plan to enlist in the military were honored, among them: 14 to the U.S. Navy, 12 to the U.S. Army, three to the U.S. Marine Corps, three to the U.S. Coast Guard and two the U.S. Air Force.

Mar Vista High School will hold its graduation ceremony May 29 at 5 p.m.

The Class of 2012 is expected to receive about $2.3 million in scholarships and state and federal financial aid, said Mar Vista High School counselor Susana Vega, an amount that may decline if Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget is approved.

The new budget could reduce Cal Grant aid to students expected to attend college in the fall by $290 million and increase the required GPA to qualify for a Cal Grant.

Cal Grant A GPA qualifications could increase from 3.0 to 3.25, and Cal Grant B GPA qualifications could increase from 2.0 to 2.75.

More than 100 Mar Vista High School seniors headed to University of California, California State University or community or private colleges currently expect to receive Cal Grant aid.

“Every year in these bad budget times there’s been a level of uncertainty about the Cal Grant program because it’s been an obvious economic times we’re all experiencing,” California Student Aid Commission Executive Director Diane Fuentes-Michel.

Last year lawmakers cut more than $100 million from Cal Grant aid, the first time in a decade, she said. 

Despite cuts and fee increases elsewhere in state government, Fuentes-Mchel believes Cal Grant should be spared not just for students, but for the common good.

“They’re the future of the economy, and the fewer students we educate, the less trained work force we have,” she said.

Fuentes-Michel cited a study by the Public Policy Institute of California which projects that California’s gap between the number of college educated workers needed to fill demand and keep the economy growing will continue to widen.

“It’s counterproductive in terms of what we need to be doing with our youth. The fewer people we educate, the less productive we’ll be as a society.”

Last week the California Student Aid Commission voted to oppose changes to Cal Grant aid, which provides money to students who may not otherwise be able to afford college.

In a statement released following the vote, the commission said proposed changes, particularly for students who plan to attend California State University and University of California schools “walk away from California’s historic Master Plan to Education to maintain affordability.” 

Funds available to Cal Grant applicants will continue to decline under the current proposal. The commission supports a proposed temporary tax increase, or Cal Grant may see even more cuts in funding.