Writing about growing up in Bakersfield and the deep bonds of childhood friendship in Belonging, I often thought about my childhood friend, Fred Zulfa. We met in fourth grade at Wayne Van Horn Elementary School in Bakersfield and went all through school together, even college, graduating from USC in 1986. Fred was a brilliant, bold, hilarious, and loyal friend. In 1992, Fred died of complications from AIDS, leaving behind a legacy of friendship, family, and goodwill I don’t think even he could have imagined.

In 2012, along with my friends and classmates Andrea Zander Norman, Ann Johansen Warren, and Judge David Zulfa, we started the Fred Zulfa Memorial Scholarship at West High School in Bakersfield in memory of our friend and brother. In 2013, we self-funded one small scholarship. As of this year, thanks to the support and generosity of our friends and classmates, we have awarded nearly $185,000 in scholarships and count 40 West High grads as “Zulfa Scholars”. In honor of Fred, we always look for applicants who, like Fred, have equal amounts ambition and heart.