The Benson/Bonin Samohi Scholarship was created to honor and celebrate Santa Monica High School moms and SMC employees,
Brenda Benson, Senior Dean of Counseling and Retention, and Maria Bonin, Transfer/Articulation
Specialist. Their colleague and friend, Dan Nannini and his wife Sue Bickford, established
the endowed scholarship to permanently create a legacy scholarship, dedicated to Brenda,
Maria, and all past, present, and future Samohi graduates who launch their higher
education journey at Santa Monica College. A 32-year long career at SMC, Dan served
as the transfer faculty leader for 17 years under Brenda Benson’s direction, who previously
served in the same role for a decade, before selecting Dan to follow in her footsteps.
In 1999, equally impassioned, Dan was able to lure Maria away from another department.
Maria supported and guided the growth of transfer and articulation services. Maria’s
dedication and support continues to be pivotal to the success of all Santa Monica
College transfer programs and services.
For donations by check, please make your check payable to:
The Santa Monica College Foundation
1900 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
On the memo line, please write: Benson/Bonin Samohi Scholarship