Local students receive Nugget scholarship

Twenty-five of Northern Nevada’s most promising high school seniors each received a $1,000 scholarship on Wednesday from the Ascuaga family to help them obtain a college education and become the future of our community.

Local students receiving scholarships were Mollie Black from Churchill County High School and Ashley Lyons from Fernley High School.

The Nugget’s Scholarship Program is now in its 57th year and has helped 700 students by contributing more than $700,000 in educational funding over the years.

“Students need these scholarship programs now more than ever,” said owner John Ascuaga. “Our scholarship program has a great success rate because of the personal input we give.”

Ascuaga personally reads every application and decides on the recipients with the input of a small committee.

Ascuaga is living proof that education and hard work will take one far in life. He opened the Nugget with only a 60-seat coffee shop and a handful of slot machines in 1955. Today, the Nugget boasts more than 1,500 hotel rooms, eight restaurants and more than 1,100 slot machines.