Congratulations to the following Scholars who completed this year’s program:
• Adriana Torres Ceja – University of California, Los Angeles
• Brandon Tran – University of California, San Diego
• Brenda Gonzalez-Rayo – University of California, Los Angeles
• Emma Barker – University of California, Berkeley
• Jennifer Flores – University of California, Berkeley
• Jolie Nguyen – University of California, Los Angeles
• Krishna Madhav – Stanford University
• Laura Walton – University of Southern California
• Madison Richards – University of California, Los Angeles
• Monica Tavassoli – Stanford University
• Rediet Retta – University of Southern California
• Ruben Anguiano – University of California, Berkeley
• Samantha Lee – University of California, San Diego
• Shania Santana – University of California, Los Angeles
In the last four years, the Merritt Scholars program has celebrated 70 graduates, 79% of whom have actively taken an interest in pursuing a career in the affordable housing industry. Many of these Scholars have a personal journey or lived experience that has inspired them to make significant changes to have a lasting impact on future generations.
As a cornerstone of our Commitment to Community (C2C) initiative, the Merritt Scholars program plays an important role in strengthening our affordable housing future. Year after year, we are inspired by the passion, talent, and leadership each cohort brings to the industry.
We look forward to welcoming our 2026–2027 cohort at the end of June—stay tuned for updates!
About Merritt Community Capital Corporation
As a nonprofit investor and lender in affordable housing, Merritt Community Capital Corporation has invested more than $1.7 billion to create and preserve over 12,500 affordable homes, providing housing for more than 30,000 residents. For over 35 years, Merritt’s mission has remained at the core of its work.
Merritt partners with mission-aligned developers and funders to tackle some of the most challenging and impactful affordable housing projects. Through equity and lending capital, Merritt provides flexible financing solutions designed to meet today’s needs while preserving affordability for the future.
Through its Commitment to Community (C2C) initiative, Merritt extends its impact by investing in people—attracting, training, and retaining the next generation of affordable housing leaders.
Merritt is also the west coast member of the National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF), which empowers locally engaged, mission-driven housing and community investment partners to build thriving communities.