Three California high school students will be achieving their goals of going to college thanks in part to California’s fresh grape farmers. The students, all children of farm workers in California’s fresh grape industry, were each awarded $20,000 college scholarships by the California Table Grape Commission.

Since 1985, the commission, on behalf of California’s fresh grape farmers, has awarded college scholarships to the children of fieldworkers in the state’s fresh grape industry. “The scholarship program is part of a long-term investment in the communities where California’s fresh grapes are grown,” said commission president, Kathleen Nave. “These students have worked incredibly hard and it is an honor to help them continue their education.”

The 2011 scholarship recipients are:

Araceli Beltran, a graduate from Desert Mirage High School in the Coachella Valley, who will be attending the University of California, Berkeley to pursue a career in medicine. She earned a 4.2 weighted GPA in high school and is the first in her family to go to college.

Angelica Ceja, a graduate from Delano High School in the San Joaquin Valley, who will be attending Stanford to pursue a career in neuroscience. Her passion to help others is inspired by her parents’ work ethic in California’s grape fields while they supported a family.

Andres Maldonado, a graduate from McFarland High School in the San Joaquin Valley, who will be attending the University of California, Berkeley to study psychology. His career goal was inspired by his work as a tutor and strong desire to help others.

The California Table Grape Commission was created by the California legislature in 1967 to increase worldwide demand for fresh California grapes through a variety of research and promotional programs.