PWP Announces Winners of Annual Academic Scholarship

PASADENA, Calif. — Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 PWP Educational Scholarship: Luciana Piro of Polytechnic School, and Alyssa Yepez of Pasadena High School.

Each year, PWP awards an academic scholarship to two high school seniors from Pasadena. First place receives $5,000, and second place receives $2,500. The program is open to high school seniors residing in PWP’s service area who plan to enroll as full-time students at an accredited, post-secondary institution in the following academic year. As part of the application process, students submitted a video responding to this year’s prompt about how their passion and pursuit of a STEM-related field contribute to the utility industry, public sector, or sustainability initiatives, and how the scholarship would support future career goals.

Luciana Piro is the PWP Educational Scholarship first-place winner. Having experienced severe food allergies as a child, Luciana was inspired to pursue biological physics as a career and is passionate about the impact of drug treatment development on the environment and global access to healthcare. Luciana plans to study biology at Barnard College.

Alyssa Yepez is the PWP Educational Scholarship second-place winner. Alyssa developed a passion for structural engineering that was reinforced by her experience during the Eaton Fire, which deepened her resolve to create stronger, more resilient infrastructure that can withstand disasters and protect communities while minimizing environmental harm. She plans to attend the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the fall majoring in civil engineering.

Congratulations to both winners! Next year’s scholarship program will open in August 2025 and will conclude in March 2026.  For more information about the program, visit our educational scholarship page.