Alumna establishes endowment to support aspiring educators

California State University, Bakersfield students who plan to pursue a career in education will soon have access to more financial support to help them reach graduation.

Alumna Heather Pennella and her sibling Ricky have donated $25,000 to CSUB to establish the Christina Rippchen Pennella Memorial Scholarship Endowment in honor of their mother, a longtime educator and fellow CSUB alumna who died last June.

The endowment will fund two $500 scholarships a year for re-entry students - adult learners 25 or older who are attending college for the first time or returning after a prolonged absence - who plan to pursue a career in K-12 education.

"It means a lot to my sibling and I to be able to do this. I feel like it's a good way to keep my mom's memory alive," said Pennella, who serves as the director of corporate and foundation relations at CSUB. "My mom received a few scholarships at CSUB, and that was a game-changer for her, since we didn't have a lot of money in those days. It feels good to be able to support further education."

Pennella earned her Master of Public Administration degree from CSUB in 2020. She also holds a bachelor's degree in history from CSU Northridge.

Christina Pennella enrolled at CSUB in 1991 as a re-entry student and graduated in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in history. She was named an outstanding graduate in the history program and was one of the featured student speakers at her commencement ceremony.

Pennella and her sibling were raised in Lebec and would often come with their mom when she had classes at the university.

"My sibling and I ran around campus when she was a student. A lot of the professors would let us sit in the classrooms so long as we didn't make noise," she said. "We really had the chance to grow up on campus, all because my mom was this stellar student."

Even before joining CSUB, Christina Pennella intended to become a K-12 teacher. She had done some teaching at a private school before attending the university, but it wasn't until she was hired in 1995 as a teacher by the El Tejon Unified School District in Lebec that she was able to fully pursue her dream.

Pennella worked for many years in the district and primarily taught seventh and eighth grade, although she would occasionally teach at the high school.

"She loved teaching and got more out of it than she ever expected to. She taught a lot of my peers growing up," Heather Pennella said.

Annual Giving and Stewardship Coordinator Grace Gilani, a Frazier Park native and gift officer for the endowment, attended schools in the El Tejon district and remembers Christina Pennella fondly.

"Having the opportunity to know and grow up with Mrs. Pennella was one of my fondest memories as a child," she said. "Every day, she was out on the playground either talking, laughing or telling students to stop running on the blacktop."

While Gilani was unable to have Pennella as her junior high teacher, as she retired the year before she entered seventh grade, she said Pennella was a long-time substitute teacher for one of her high school classes.

"Having the opportunity now almost 10 years later to work with her daughter on establishing this endowment in her name has felt surreal," Gilani said. "It really feels special to help students from her alma mater access scholarships that could transform their lives, and because of that, I am in awe of the Pennella family and their generosity. I'm excited to connect with the annual scholarship recipients each year and hear their stories and how these scholarships will benefit them."

Robin Valente, a lecturer in the Teacher Education Department, had Pennella as one of her teachers. She was excited to learn about the endowment and believes the new scholarships will have a significant impact for students.

"Mrs. Pennella had a special gift for making learning feel relevant. She connected with her students and showed us that education could be fun, not just work," she said. "A scholarship in her honor will inspire future teachers to bring that same dedication, creativity and commitment to the communities they serve, especially in small rural schools where those relationships matter so much."

Pennella said she's glad that she and her sibling are able to give back to CSUB through this endowment and will be able to help students with similar goals and life experiences as those of her mother.

"CSUB has meant a lot to all of us. It's my legacy university," she said. "Our mom had a lifelong zest for knowledge, so this feels like the right thing to do. One of the things that feels the most right about it is the re-entry component. We're trying to give people a leg up and show that you're never too old to go back to school, you're never too old to figure out what you want to be. Our teachers are so important to all that we go on to do."

Visit legacy.csub.edu to learn about how you can make an impact on students through giving.