Making a Difference: the Henry Krieger Scholarship

Henry Krieger, Harvey Mudd math professor and CLASP chief financial officer passed away in the summer of 2022. CLASP used donations made in his memory to create a college scholarship award for graduating senior high students. Those eligible for the award either participated in the program in elementary school or volunteered while attending high school.

We caught up with the two 2025 awardees to see how things are going.

Diego Figueroa and Seanna Tygard

Diego Figueroa, a former CLASP student, attends Citrus Community College where he is working on the prerequisites for nursing school. He works hard to keep up with his classes, some of which are in person while others are online. After completing these requirements, he plans to transfer to a university to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. He is considering Cal State Monterey, Azusa Pacific University, and the University of Redlands.

When asked what it meant to be awarded the Krieger Scholarship, Deigo responded, “Receiving the Krieger Scholarship from CLASP meant a lot to me. It made me feel supported and encouraged, and it showed me that others believe in my goals. It also helped reduce stress related to school costs, so I can focus more on my classes.”

Long term, Diego is aware that becoming a registered nurse offers many career paths and opportunities. He is thinking of working in a hospital setting and gaining experience in areas such as emergency care, pediatrics, or oncology. He specifically mentioned possibly working at City of Hope Hospital helping patients who are fighting cancer.

Diego says that he benefitted greatly from CLASP. He cited the guidance and support he got, and being part of a community that wanted him to succeed. This all helped him stay confident and motivated to achieve his goals.

Diego recounted that he struggled with math prior to participating in CLASP. His tutor, Greg Stout, was patient and encouraging, providing the most genuine help with math he had ever received. This helped to build confidence and improve his math skills.

Other benefits Diego cited from his time in CLASP included improved social skills, making friends he still has, and becoming more open to new people and experiences. This in turn led him to become involved in school and community activities such as participating in school book fairs, the Spanish Language Club, and a photography class. Some of his photographs have been displayed in the City of Claremont. CLASP is very proud of Diego’s growth and his goals. We wish him much success, and we feel confident he will achieve his goals.

Seanna Tygard attended Vista Del Valle Elementary school, El Roble Middle School, and graduated from Claremont High School in June 2025. She is currently enjoying her second semester of college at Mt. San Antonio College where she is majoring in biology and animal sciences. She plans to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona in two years to study biology, minoring in zoology. She has learned that Cal Poly has a wonderful study abroad program in Peru that she is interested in attending. Seanna’s dream job would be as a zoologist with Disney at the Animal Kingdom Park in Tampa. Being realistic, she understands she may need to start at the LA Zoo.

Seanna was elated to win the CLASP scholarship after tutoring for three years. She has added this fact to her resume as she seeks part-time work having limited real work experience. She feels the award helped her secure a spot in the honors program at Mt. Sac.

Besides attending classes from Monday to Thursday, Seanna continues to tutor for CLASP at Wheeler Park. She also volunteers with Ozzie and Friends Rescue, a dog rescue service in Rancho Cucamonga. And she will volunteer at an upcoming marathon. She is a member of the Astronomy Club at Mt. Sac and was recently away for a star-gazing weekend. Looking back on her time tutoring for CLASP, Seanna has learned a lot from her students.

“They know so much more than we give them credit for” she explained. Seanna has had great support from her parents and tutoring gives her a chance to share her good fortune with her students. Seanna loves her parents and acknowledges she may not tell them often enough! She also sees what she is learning in development psychology show up through tutoring.

This recent high school graduate has a plan and she is determined!