Lodi News-Sentinel: Local grad tells students to plan ahead but live in the present
Local grad tells students to plan ahead but live in the present
Aspire Academy scholarship recipients honored in Lodi
Original article found here.
By
MAY 1, 2026
Lodi native Patrick Mulligan told more than two dozen Aspire Academy graduates Thursday that the road ahead would be both exciting and daunting, and that they should always remember where they are in life. Mulligan was the guest speaker at Aspire’s third annual Transforming Futures Scholarship Luncheon, held at Appellation Lodi — Wine & Roses Resort and Spa.
An alum of Aspire’s Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy, he was among the first to receive a Transforming Futures Scholarship in 2023.
Now a junior set to graduate from Chico State next year, Mulligan returned to his hometown to offer Aspire graduates words of wisdom.
“When you dedicate your mind to just a few things, you can do amazing work,” he said. “The ability to delegate work and ask people for help gave me the opportunity to focus on what’s important instead of just how to survive.”
Mulligan advised students to maintain relationships with their Aspire friends and classmates and to stay focused on their career goals.
He said focus would allow them to recognize what they could have done better and reflect on previous actions.
Great things take time to accomplish, he said, but first you must make the time.
“Enjoy the present,” Mulligan said. “As active students, many of you might have positions of leadership or have entire plans for how your future might go. Though preparation is important and vital to anyone’s success, the constant anticipation this creates robs you of the moment. As your academics and work pick up speed, so will your life. And in the blink of an eye, you’re sitting on the cusp of your last year of college.”
When Mulligan graduated in 2023, he received the Para la Cultura Scholarship, which is awarded to seniors who exemplify Aspire’s “Culture of Belonging.” Winners demonstrate strong social-emotional skills and meaningful contributions to their school and community.
Other awards given Thursday included the Fulfilling Futures, Rise and Shining Stars scholarships.
Fulfilling Futures awards are given to seniors who have demonstrated thoughtful plans for pursuing a postsecondary path through a trade school or certificate program. Rise awards are given to those who demonstrate a commitment to disrupting bias or injustice and acting as agents of change in the Black community.
Shining Stars awards are given to seniors who have a clear vision for the future, tenacity in the face of obstacles and strong participation in school and extracurricular activities.
Benjamin Holt senior Nathan Nguyen was one of nine seniors to receive a Shining Stars scholarship Thursday.
“I feel really honored,” he said. “This award is only given to one out of 200 students in my grade, so it feels like I’ve really made an impact.”
When he learned earlier this year that he had won the award, he said it was one of the most exciting moments of his life.
“I was so happy,” he said. “I was surrounded by all my friends, and I was cheering and jumping up and down. I ran on stage, hugged my friends and teachers, took the photo, came off the stage and everyone was hugging me and giving me high fives.”
Jimena Urtiz, also a Benjamin Holt senior, was one of five students to receive a Rise scholarship. Her $3,000 award will help her attend UC San Diego to study biological sciences.
She said she was shocked to learn she had received the award and that it took a few minutes to realize it, adding that she was grateful.
“It’s really easy to do so much and not really see your progress,” she said. “Aside from the money to help me, it shows what I did means something.”
Urtiz said what the scholarship will help her accomplish is more important than the amount of financial aid it provides.
“It’s more about congratulating me for all the progress I have made,” she said. “It let me look back and think that I really had done a lot.”
Aspire Public Schools was launched in Lodi by Don Shalvey and Netflix founder Reed Hastings in 1998 as one of the nation’s first charter management organizations.
Aspire now has 36 community-based schools serving more than 15,400 students in grades TK through 12 in the Central Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.
Tony Solina, Aspire Central Valley’s executive director, said when the organization first awarded scholarships in 2023, only three students were honored. On Thursday, 27 students were recognized.
“It’s grown in scale a lot,” he said. “This really demonstrates that these are students who otherwise wouldn’t be in a venue like this without knowing it was here. It’s also about honoring all the hard work they’ve been doing and being able to celebrate their accomplishments before they set out for college.”