Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Saint Martin’s University has named Hannah Briley, Jose Contreras and Oscar Martin-Garcia as recipients of its 2017-2018 Trustee Scholarships, among the most significant honors given by the University. Each year, the scholarships are awarded to outstanding transfer students who exemplify the University’s commitment to academic excellence, community service and the Benedictine values that form the bedrock of the Saint Martin’s community.
“This year we had a wide variety of candidates that were very talented. Due to the talent of the students, we were blessed to have three Trustee Scholars instead of two and are extremely excited to have them on our campus,” said John Abreu, transfer admissions counselor.
Trustee Scholarships are reserved for students transferring to Saint Martin’s from a community college, and who either have completed or are completing their associate’s degree with a 3.5 grade point average or higher. Each Trustee Scholar will receive a $26,000 scholarship, which will be divided among four semesters of study.

Briley, from Bonney Lake, is a civil engineering major from Pierce College. She hopes to be challenged, in her course of study at Saint Martin’s, to find new solutions to everyday problems, and she looks forward to being inspired by the possibilities that the study of engineering has to offer. Briley works as a head cashier at the Home Depot, and in her spare time she enjoys hiking and volunteering with engineering clubs at local high schools. She is grateful for the support of her family throughout her educational journey.

Contreras, from Tumwater, is an accounting major from Centralia College. He was born in Durango, Mexico, and lived there until the age of five, when his family moved to the U.S. He grew up in California, but he and his family moved to Washington in 2012. Contreras was introduced to business concepts during his freshman year of high school through the experience of selling candy. He took several business classes in high school and decided that he wanted to pursue a career in accounting. He is thankful to his parents for the many sacrifices they made to ensure a bright future for him and his siblings. In his free time, he enjoys being with family and friends and he likes playing and watching soccer.

Martin-Garcia, from Yelm, is a civil and mechanical engineering major from Pierce College. He will be joining his younger sister, Jessica, a freshman and civil engineering major at Saint Martin’s. He was born in Tacoma and has lived in Washington his whole life. Martin-Garcia has a passion for math and science and wants to use his knowledge to help others. Inspired by his parents’ stories of growing up in poverty and working on a farm in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico, Martin-Garcia would one day like to design machines that improve the quality of life for people in developing countries. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening with his father, fishing, swimming and hiking.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent, four-year, coeducational university located on a wooded campus of more than 300 acres in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 14 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 25 majors and seven graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, nursing and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes more than 1,100 undergraduate students and 340 graduate students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its Lacey campus, and 350 more students to its extended campuses located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Centralia College and Tacoma Community College. Visit the Saint Martin’s University website for more information.