Andre LaMothe of Carmel, Robert Andersen of Seaside, and Laurencia Walker of Marina are this year's recipients of the Investment in Community Fellowships by the Willis W. and Ethel M. Clark Foundation.

The Investment in Community Fellowship is awarded to deserving graduate students who were born, raised or live on the Monterey Peninsula and intend to be of service to the local community after completing their graduate degrees.

Andre is pursuing a Doctorate in dentistry at UC San Diego with emphasis on dental/oral surgery, and is attending dental school at UCLA.  Being born and raised in Carmel, Andre’s goal has always been to return to the Peninsula after graduation. He says the $10,000 fellowship award brings him one step closer to helping people on the Monterey Peninsula discover the joy of healthy teeth.

Robert Andersen is pursuing a Master of Healthcare Administration and Inter-professional Leadership through the UC San Francisco School of Nursing. He earned a $5,000 fellowship. He intends to return to the Peninsula after graduation to be near friends and family in his hometown of Pacific Grove.

Laurencia Walker is pursuing a PhD in Higher Education Administration and Policy at UC Riverside, and was the recipient of a $5,000 fellowship.

She plans to research the experiences of low-socioeconomic students participating in academic retention programs at the community college level.