Our Story
My mom, Jenna Sue Souza-Furst, was the hardest worker I've ever known. This is her story, and why this scholarship exists.
Starting over in California
We moved to Northern California from Racine, Wisconsin, when I was two. She was twenty. She came looking for hope and a fresh start, and she built a great life for us.
She worked two jobs, at Starbucks and Holiday Market, to take care of me. One day she told my Nana she'd "had enough" and enrolled in a technical college in Sacramento. I still remember sitting in her evening classes with an I Spy book she gave me to keep busy.
Building a career
She earned her degree and started in customer service at Sunoptics, a daylighting company. She rose fast. Soon she was flying across the West, presenting to leaders at companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola about natural light in buildings.
From third to seventh grade, she was gone two or three days a week. She wouldn't take help from anyone, including the government. She wanted to provide for us on her own, and she did.
The best childhood I could ask for
In third grade, we cruised to Catalina Island and Baja. After that trip, I told her my dream vacation was an Alaskan cruise when I turned 13. She took it to heart. In 2016, two months before my 13th birthday, we went.
Her work trips took us to New York City, Los Angeles and Hawaii three times. I'm so thankful I got to share those with her.
She pushed me to do my best
I struggled my first year of high school. With her support, I got a 4.0 the rest of the way. She pushed me to apply for scholarships, and I won an essay scholarship from the El Dorado County Republican Women Federated. It paid for two semesters of college books.
I started at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in fall 2021. She'd call me all the time, excited about her role as Second Vice President of that same group. She joined in 2022, inspired by my interest in politics. I went back to UWGB in fall 2025 to finish my degree in Political Science and Public Administration.
Adventures, sunsets and flowers
She turned every drive to college into a trip. Yellowstone before my first year. Camping near Mount Rushmore before my second. She loved hiking, kayaking, fishing and rock hounding for crystals. I didn't love digging for rocks, but seeing her happy made it worth it.
She loved her garden too. When I was away at school, she'd text me photos of her flowers in bloom. We traded sunset pictures. I was two hours ahead in Wisconsin, and hers were usually better.
She taught me to be respectful, responsible and kind. If I'm ever half the parent she was, my kids will be lucky.
Why this scholarship
When my mom passed away in 2023, I started this scholarship at El Dorado High School so she could "live on" and bring happiness and success to others.
There's still a stigma around mental health and getting help. This scholarship is one way to close that gap. Applicants write an essay on why mental health matters and how to raise awareness.
Every recipient also gets a free therapy session, up to $250. Before my mom passed, my family tried for weeks to find her a therapist, with no luck. A free session gives someone a chance to try therapy who might not get one otherwise.
Thank you for your support,
Dylan Souza
The scholarship today
- $1,000 for college or trade school
- Up to $250 towards a therapy session
- One award for an El Dorado High School senior, plus a second (and maybe a third) for seniors anywhere in the El Dorado Union High School District. Homeschool and virtual academy students count too.
Applications are due April 1st, 2027. Apply on EDCOE
Help keep it going
Walk with us on April 24th, 2027 in Placerville.
Or donate or start a fundraiser.
Jenna Sue Souza Furst Memorial Scholarship Fund. EIN 93-2430026.
