Growing up in Lima, Peru, Jhussahara Mendieta Bernabe remembers that the nights were rarely dark or quiet. Neon signs flooded the streets with bright colors as the vendors shouted out their wares for sale. The sweet scent of corn pudding melted with the salty scent of fried chicken.
As Jhussahara got older, she understood why her parents migrated to Lima from Cerro de Pasco, a small mining town in the Andes that has reportedly been contaminated with heavy metals. “My parents sought a future full of opportunities for their descendants,” she said. From selling goods in the streets to running a convenience store in their home, she said, “I learned the essence of resourcefulness.”
Jhussahara Mendieta Bernabe says the scholarship has significantly broadened her academic journey. Photo by Keegan Houser.
That resourcefulness has followed Jhussahara to UC Berkeley, where during her first year she started working toward a major in environmental science, joined four student clubs, and was selected to represent Peru at the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women last spring.
She also took a class that provides students with tools to turn their imagination into actions that can change the world. “It’s a space where not only I can be allowed to think outside the box,” she said, “but at the same time focus on personal projects.” Using practices from the class, she and a friend are conceptualizing a program that would help teens in the Andes work toward a future beyond struggling to meet their basic needs.
“This support has also reaffirmed my belief that I belong here at Berkeley.” — Jhussahara Mendieta Bernabe
Scholarship the water to Berkeley’s fertile soil
Entering her second year in fall 2025, Jhussahara sees Berkeley as the fertile soil in which she can continue to grow — and the Rodríguez-Pastor Family Scholarship as one thing watering that soil. Founded in 2016, this scholarship is awarded annually to a select number of new undergraduates from Peru and other South American countries who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership. It provides significant assistance that, depending on the student’s needs, can include funding for tuition, housing, food, and books for up to four years.
“Receiving this scholarship has been a transformative experience that has significantly broadened my academic journey,” said Jhussahara. “This support has also reaffirmed my belief that I belong here at Berkeley.”
Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor '83 established a scholarship for undergraduates from Peru and other South American countries who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership.
The scholarship was established by Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor, who graduated from UC Berkeley in 1983 with a degree in social sciences. He is also a member of the UC Berkeley Board of Visitors, a group of volunteers that provides advice and support to university leaders on budgetary, planning, programmatic, and other areas.
“Carlos exemplifies the best of Berkeley’s values — intellectual rigor, determination, and giving back to others in ways that exceed what he himself has received,” said Chancellor Rich Lyons, who has known Carlos for many years. “The legacy he has created at Berkeley and in South America will result in returns we can’t fully imagine.”
Socrates Osorio Diaz says he will be the first Peruvian to graduate from the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology Program. Photo by Keegan Houser.
The monkey on the back
Fourth-year student Socrates Osorio Diaz, who also grew up in Lima, started coding at age 7. By age 13, he had begun developing apps for fun — until a need arose that hit close to home.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Socrates’ grandmother had to stop visiting him. But when she tried calling someone, he said, “She really struggled because she has glaucoma. She had to put the phone really, really close to her face.”
Socrates spent a year and a half creating an app called Fonoface that replaces the numbers on the dialer with large photos of the user’s loved ones. It also offers enlarged icons, voice recognition, and other features. Since then, he has adapted the app so that people with hearing loss, dyslexia, and other disabilities can use it.
“I think the ability to communicate with other people should not only be a plus in life, but a right,” he said. “This experience showed me the true potential of technology to improve people’s lives.”
A recipient of the Rodríguez-Pastor Family Scholarship, Socrates got into the M.E.T. Program (Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology) at Berkeley and is double majoring in electrical engineering and computer sciences and business administration. “I will be the first Peruvian to graduate from this program!” he said. “I’m really excited to make the most of it to contribute to the world.”
That is exactly what Carlos wants from the students he supports. When he met Socrates, he told him that he now has an invisible monkey on his back.
“Whatever you’re going through in life, you might lose focus on what you’re trying to achieve,” said Socrates. “The invisible monkey is a reminder of your mission to not just focus on yourself, but on the amazing things you can do to make the world better.”
