08/18/2026
Today is National Nonprofit Day, and we can't think of a better way to celebrate than by sharing the story of one incredible Ventura College student. 💛
Meet Ariadna.
Ariadna's family arrived in the United States when she was just four years old, with little material security but an abundance of heart. Growing up, she faced hardship and it was local public health programs that became a lifeline for her, sparking a passion for Public Health and Herbalism that would shape the rest of her life.
But her path hasn't been a straight line. As a young adult, Ariadna battled serious health struggles, and had to step away from college to fight for her life. She won that fight — fully recovering and becoming a certified herbalist. Then in 2023, a back injury left her in pain and unable to work, and she realized: it was time to go back to school.
After sixteen years away, Ariadna enrolled at Ventura College in Fall 2024. Today, she's a full-time student carrying a 4.0 GPA, working toward a career in Public Health so she can return to Ventura County and serve the community that shaped her.
Scholarships like the Frank Nolan Memorial Scholarship, the Outreach Alliance of Ventura County Re-Entry Scholarship, and the Ventura College Holistic Studies Scholarship have meant so much more than financial support. In Ariadna's words, they represent "relief" — the chance to work fewer hours, focus on her studies, and keep showing up for her community.
She said it best at the 2026 scholarship awards ceremony: "Your investment does not end with me. It ripples outward—into families, into communities, into futures that are forever changed."
This is exactly why we do what we do. On National Nonprofit Day, thank you to every donor, volunteer, and supporter who makes stories like Ariadna's possible. 🏴☠️ Once a Pirate, always a Pirate.
Photo by Trinity Wheeler Photography
