Santa Rosa High School valedictorian Cameron Cuevas received a $1,000 scholarship from the 5 AM Coffee Group.
The scholarship required students to read either “Atlas Shrugged” or “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand or “It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis and then write a 10-page essay.
Cuevas winning essay was entitled “Understanding the Differences Between Capitalism and Socialism.”
Cuevas plans to attend the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and study computer engineering.
The scholarship was created by Judge Oscar Guerra, of Santa Rosa, and Doak Dunkin, of Harlingen, who before the coronavirus changed things, would meet at 5 a.m. daily for a cup of coffee. The pair says they created the scholarship to encourage reading and civic awareness.
