She changed my life.”

That’s how Michelle Soto Garcia describes the impact that CSUDH alumna and philanthropist Maureen McCarthey has had on her. Garcia, a former Paramount Unified School District Teacher of the Year, is currently the principal at the district’s Roosevelt Elementary, and she is quick to credit McCarthey and her philanthropic foundation for that success.

Since 2001, the Maureen McCarthey Foundation has donated more than $1 million to graduates of Paramount schools who are interested in going into teaching and attending CSUDH. Each year, the foundation grants graduating seniors a full scholarship, and McCarthey and her team continue to support them throughout their academic journey.

“I don’t know where I’d be without the foundation,” says Garcia. “Ms. McCarthey is a mentor to me. She’s like family. I don’t know what I would have done without her guidance, her support, and her generosity. This doesn’t come from company money, this is her personal money that she’s investing in Paramount and the community.”

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, McCarthey graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., before moving to Southern California in the late ’80s. She earned a teaching credential from Cal State Long Beach, then got a job as an elementary school teacher in Paramount. While there, she participated in a program at CSUDH to earn a master’s degree while still working, joining other teachers from the district in the endeavor.

“We got very attached to Dominguez Hills,” says McCarthey. “It was a great program, with a great education department behind it. It was a great experience.”

McCarthey’s parents were devoted philanthropists in the Salt Lake City area, and when they passed away, she took the opportunity to continue in their spirit of giving. She retired from teaching and formed a philanthropic foundation, with the idea of giving back to the communities that had so inspired her during her teaching career.

“When I left Paramount, I wanted to help students in the district, because I fell in love with the community, and I wanted to encourage them to go to Dominguez Hills.” With that in mind, she created the Maureen McCarthey Scholarship, which has been providing scholarships to prospective educators for over two decades.

Another grateful scholarship recipient is 2020 Paramount Teacher of the Year Brittany Esnayra. She currently works as a Resource Specialist Program teacher at Paramount High School, helping students with special needs develop the study skills they need to thrive.

”As a 17-year-old high school student with a full scholarship, I didn’t even know what to do with myself. I was so excited,” she recalls. “At first, I was just thrilled to be able to go to college and not have to worry about how I was going to pay for it.”

“It’s way more than that, though,” Esnayra continues. “Ms. McCarthey and her board became like family. During my first interview for the scholarship, they said, ‘This is not a scholarship where we’re just going to hand you money and say good luck to you. We want to be involved. We want to know about your life and where you go.’

“Over the course of the last 20 years, I have definitely hit some bumps in the road, and Ms. McCarthey and the foundation have been there for me every step of the way. They’re not only mentors, they’re also like aunts, in the sense that it’s truly more than the money. They’ve been involved my whole life and got to celebrate all of my accomplishments with me.”

McCarthey usually shies away from publicity, but received some rare public acclaim during 2023, when she was invited to join President Thomas A. Parham to throw out the first pitch at the annual at Toro Night at Dodger Stadium.

“The invitation took my breath away,” says McCarthey. “At first I didn’t think I could do it, but once I decided to, I took it really seriously. I went to the park with a friend and practiced so that I could at least get the ball over the plate!”

“It was really an experience that I can’t even explain. It was just so cool and so much fun.”

McCarthey credits her philanthropic nature to the values her parents instilled in her. “They were both very generous people. Now, the inheritance they left behind enables me to have this foundation. When I meet with candidates or their families, I always bring them up. I may be the one giving the money, but none of this would be happening if not for my mother and father. They were charitable, philanthropic people, and education was really important to them.”

As McCarthey’s foundation enters its third decade supporting CSUDH students, Garcia is happy that she is getting recognized for her work. “She’s changed so many lives,” says Garcia. “She doesn’t give to any other university—she just loves Dominguez Hills and Paramount and really wants to help in every way she can. I’m proud to be a part of that legacy.”

It was a great program, with a great education department behind it. It was a great experience.”

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