UKIAH, Calif. – John Feliz Jr. grew up in Ukiah and comes from a long line of tribal leaders and advocates for American Indian affairs.

He has always been fascinated by politics and grew up around role models that expressed the important of leadership and getting involved to make a difference in what’s really important.

When asked who his role model was, he softly stated that it was his maternal grandmother Gertrude.

Gertrude was a nurse by trade, but also actively participated as a tribal leader and as such shared the importance of a college education with her grandson.

According to Feliz, he shadowed her on a regular basis and credits her with much of his love of learning.

Feliz is the most recent recipient of the Albert and Patricia Beltrami Internship Scholarship in the amount of $1,000.

He completed his internship in the county of Mendocino’s Executive Office, which is a requirement of receiving this scholarship, according to Scholarship Coordinator Lana Eberhard.

“I loved working in the county office as an intern and in fact, that experience led me to receiving a paid position in that office,” Feliz said.

“John exceeded our expectations. He excelled in all areas of his internship including public speaking, customer service, business writing assignments, public policy/public service assignments, and his overall demeanor and positive disposition as a member of the executive office team,” said Mendocino County Deputy Chief Executive Officer Kristi Furman.

A superstar at Mendocino College, Feliz already has completed degrees in accounting and business management with a 4.0 grade point average.

His future plans include working in the County Executive Office and applying to UC Berkeley with a goal of receiving a PhD.

Beltrami created this perpetual scholarship to provide an opportunity for students to intern in local government and ultimately to encourage them to pursue a career in either politics or local government.

Sadly, Beltrami passed away last December, but his legacy will continue with this named scholarship program. He would be pleased with the selection of John Feliz Jr. because he embodies the principles of the scholarship as intended by Beltrami.

For more information about the Scholarship Program or the Mendocino College Foundation, call 707-467-1018 or visit http://foundation.mendocino.edu .