Living Desert awards $54,000 to local graduating seniors

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) -- Five Coachella Valley graduating high school seniors were awarded $54,000 by the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens on Saturday.

The teens are apart of the Living Desert's 'Zoo Teen program,' a four year youth conservation program focused on animal care, science, and conservation. Awards were given to teens pursuing science degrees in line with the zoo's mission.

For Destiny Hernandez, the Living Desert is a second home, "I could totally see myself coming back here. I mean, I came to camps here when I was five years old, and now I'm 18, graduating high school. So this place is home."

Dr. Anna Young, a program lead, says Zoo Teens is meant to inspire the desert's youth to care for their planet young.

"We really want to invest in our local Coachella Valley residents so that they can be the next generation of conservation leaders. So we need kids starting as early as possible to understand what it takes to take care of our valley and of our planet," Dr. Young said.

The Living Desert raised over $38,000 for the awards. Assistance from OneFuture Coachella Valley brought the total of those scholarships to $54,000.

Awards varied between $2,000 to $5,000 per year, per student for up to five years.