By the Santa Cruz Sentinel

The Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board recently awarded Dientes Community Dental Care with a Workforce Achievement Award as its 2025 Employer Champion. The award, which celebrates community impact, is given annually to local employers that provide individuals who have overcome adversity with innovative and inclusive pathways into meaningful employment.

“Selecting Dientes as our 2025 Employer Champion was especially meaningful for our Workforce Development Board,” said Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board Director Andy Stone, in a statement. “Dientes has proactively partnered with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Workforce Santa Cruz County to create the Dental Assisting Apprenticeship Program to address the increasing demand for skilled dental assistants and provide local workers with an opportunity to earn while they learn.”

The Dientes apprenticeship program is supported by Workforce Santa Cruz County’s on-the-job training and funded in part by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It provides apprentices with paid training, enabling them to earn wages while gaining new skills. Workforce Santa Cruz County says that this approach helps Dientes build a strong talent pipeline from within, reducing turnover and increasing retention of skilled employees.

The apprenticeship program helps to ensure consistent access to quality of care for the patients Dientes serves. The program allows Dientes to address skill gaps and learning needs during the training phase of an apprentice’s placement, rather than after hiring and onboarding a new dental assistant.

Bay Federal announces scholarship recipients

Bay Federal Credit Union recently announced James Parker, Laura Hodges and Spike Sorensen as the winners of its 2025 Education Scholarships. Each student will receive a $1,500 scholarship to support their educational journey.“Every year, our scholarship recipients inspire us with their drive and commitment to building a brighter future,” said Carrie Birkhofer, Bay Federal’s president and CEO, in a statement. “We’re honored to support these incredible individuals as they take the next step in their academic and professional goals.”

This year’s applicants were asked to share their thoughts on how technology impacts financial literacy and money management among their generation. They were also asked to suggest improvements to educational resources that would make them more accessible and effective for young adults and their broader communities.

Santa Cruz Fly Fishing awards scholarships

As part of its mission to improve the environment, Santa Cruz Fly Fishing recently awarded a $600 scholarship to a deserving graduating senior who will be majoring in a field of Environmental Science in college at each of the county’s eight comprehensive high schools.

The recipients are Aptos High graduate Charlotte Morgan (University of Hawai?i at Manoa), Harbor High graduate Serena Manildi (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Pajaro Valley High graduate Torralba Crecencio (CSU Monterey Bay), San Lorenzo Valley High graduate Abigail Gabrielson (UC Los Angeles), Santa Cruz High graduate Catherine Sheehan (Cabrillo College), Scotts Valley High graduate Abigail Howell (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Soquel High graduate Alyce Javier (Colorado State University) and Watsonville High graduate Ronlewis Estrellon (Cabrillo College).

Got a story to tell, an event to report, an award to announce? Tell Name Dropping. Email Namedropping@santacruzsentinel.com. Name Dropping is published Mondays in the Sentinel.