Bortel Family Scholarship

Sometimes the biggest motivator for donors and alumni to contribute to the University is gratitude for the help they themselves have received. At least that’s how the Bortel family looked at it, and this endowed scholarship is the proof.

Paula Bortel entered CLC as a freshman in the fall of 1969. She didn’t have far to travel since she had grown up in Thousand Oaks and already knew the campus well. What made her situation different was that she came with several community scholarships to her credit. Those scholarships, along with her dedication and hard work, helped her to achieve her baccalaureate degree in 1973. By the time she graduated, Paula had a solid part-time job on campus so she continued her education, earning both her teaching credential and her MBA at CLC.

In 1979 Paula decided to spread her wings and look for a job off-campus. She went to work for State Farm Insurance Company in Thousand Oaks. Because of her work ethic and the skills she had gained through her education, Paula rose steadily through the ranks to supervisor. When State Farm moved to its new headquarters in Bakersfield, Paula moved too. But she did not abandon her loyalty to her alma mater. She continued to volunteer with CLU’s alumni association for several years and developed the habit of sending regular monetary gifts to the University.

In 1991 Paula and her parents decided to demonstrate their appreciation for the financial support Paula had received for college by establishing a scholarship in the family’s name. It was their way of acknowledging what the Thousand Oaks/Conejo Valley community had meant to them over the years. Because scholarships had made the difference for Paula, they wanted to make that same difference for others.

The Bortel Family Scholarship can be awarded only to students who are residents of the Conejo Valley and who have chosen to study at California Lutheran University. CLU is grateful to families like the Bortels for their determination to give back to the University and its students.