- link Copy Url - [ Share on twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Student Overcomes Family’s Financial Setback to Head to College https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/57675?absolute=1&via=3blnews "link to 3 B L Media's Twitter") - [ Share on linkedin ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/57675?absolute=1 "link to 3 B L Media's Linkedin") - [ Share on facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/57675?absolute=1 "link to 3 B L Media's Facebook") - [ email Share via email ](mailto:?subject=Student Overcomes Family’s Financial Setback to Head to College&body=ESG News from Edison International https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/57675?absolute=1 "Share via email") [Education](/CSR-News/education) # Student Overcomes Family’s Financial Setback to Head to College ##### A $40,000 Edison Scholars award allows Michaela Edwards to pursue her lifelong interest in the environment. Apr 28, 2015 6:00 PM ET Campaign: ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/thumbnails/156973/thumbnail-156973_0007.png) ▶ Video ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_2x/s3/images/00010.MTS_.01_55_02_12.Still002.jpg "Michaela Edwards, a senior at Avalon School on Catalina Island, shows off the medallion she received with her $40,000 Edison Scholars award. ") ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_2x/s3/images/GOPR9393.jpg "Michaela Edwards, a senior at Avalon School on Catalina Island, stands with the $40,000 Edison Scholars check she received to help fund her environmental studies education at the University of San Francisco.") ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_2x/s3/images/00007.MTS_.01_49_40_09.Still002_copy.jpg "Michaela Edwards, a senior at Avalon School on Catalina Island, gets a hug from her mother, Katalina Vargas Edwards, after the announcement that Michaela had won a $40,000 Edison Scholars award.") ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_thumbnail_x2/s3/videos/thumbnails/156973/thumbnail-156973_0007.png?h=7a6e80fd) ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_thumbnail_x2/s3/images/00010.MTS_.01_55_02_12.Still002.jpg?h=984505d1 "Michaela Edwards, a senior at Avalon School on Catalina Island, shows off the medallion she received with her $40,000 Edison Scholars award. ") ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_thumbnail_x2/s3/images/GOPR9393.jpg?h=8654a79f "Michaela Edwards, a senior at Avalon School on Catalina Island, stands with the $40,000 Edison Scholars check she received to help fund her environmental studies education at the University of San Francisco.") ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_thumbnail_x2/s3/images/00007.MTS_.01_49_40_09.Still002_copy.jpg?h=400dea98 "Michaela Edwards, a senior at Avalon School on Catalina Island, gets a hug from her mother, Katalina Vargas Edwards, after the announcement that Michaela had won a $40,000 Edison Scholars award.") [Edison's Online Newsroom](http://newsroom.edison.com/stories/avalon-student-overcomes-familys-financial-setback-to-head-to-college) Michaela Edwards will be the first to tell you she lived an idyllic childhood her first few years growing up on [Catalina Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Catalina_Island,_California). But the [recession in 2008](http://stateofworkingamerica.org/great-recession/) ended that. Her father’s construction business slowed. Her mother lost her job and her parents were forced to sell their home — the house Michaela grew up in. The economic uncertainty that followed cast a shadow over her plans to go to college to pursue environmental studies, her passion. But Michaela put those worries aside during a recent [Avalon School](https://lbavalon.schoolloop.com/) sports assembly. As the school band’s drummer, she was asked before the assembly to be ready to play a drum roll prelude for “an announcement about an important student award.” On cue, Michaela played the drum roll, but to her surprise, it ended up being for herself as she learned she was the one who won the award — a [$40,000 Edison Scholars college scholarship](http://newsroom.edison.com/stories/scholarship-is-victorville-students-ticket-to-the-ivy-league). **For more stories on Edison Scholars and other Edison news, visit [Edison's Online Newsroom](http://newsroom.edison.com/).** **To learn more about Edison's philanthropic programs, read** [**Power in Partnerships: Community Investment Report 2014**](http://on.edison.com/cireport). 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