Awards & Community

Gema Loera

While most little girls her age played with their Barbies, Gema Loera preferred to build the houses in which those Barbies would live. Whether it was with a tissue box, cardboard, or a nearby school book, Gema spent her childhood building things.

It’s no surprise then that she is now a freshman at Cal Poly Pomona studying civil engineering. Gema is a 2012 recipient of a scholarship from the Riverside Construction Company Harmon/Lounsbury Scholarship Fund at The Community Foundation.

Gema and her five siblings immigrated to California from Mexico when she was six years old. She is inspired by her older sister who just graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a civil engineering degree. Together, they plan to establish a women-owned business enterprise of multi-disciplined engineering firms, and will focus on employing women. “That will happen after I obtain my masters degree in civil engineering,” states Gema.

She credits her parents support for her academic success. “They taught us the value of education,” she stated. “I wanted to do well in school so I could help provide for them when they are older like they have done for me and my siblings.”

Gema’s family of eight is solely supported by her father, who works in the volatile construction field. “This scholarship has allowed me to pay for my own education,” says Gema. She is thankful for the support and the opportunity to make her parents proud “that they have a responsible daughter.”