(SAN DIEGO, CA) – Ballast Point has awarded two full scholarships as part of its inaugural Brewing for Diversity partnership with the UC San Diego Extension Brewing Program. The scholarship program grants underrepresented students full tuition and related fees for those starting or continuing in the UC San Diego Extension’s Brewing Certificate Program as well as the opportunity to complete a paid internship at Ballast Point in San Diego to gain real- world insight into brewery production and operations. The selection committee, composed of members of Ballast Point, UC San Diego Extension, and the Inclusion Committee of the San Diego Brewers Guild, was originally tasked with presenting one recommended recipient from the strong pool of applicants. Finding it difficult to narrow down from the final two after reviewing the committee’s notes and the candidate’s personal essays, it was decided that both candidates should receive a scholarship in the program’s kick-off year.
The 2021 Ballast Point Brewing for Diversity scholarship recipients Elia Gómez Smith and Skylar Holewinski both demonstrated a deep passion to learn and augment their professional backgrounds in science and brought diverse perspectives and accomplishments to the table.
Skylar has a 15-year professional background in formal research with a focus in biopharma clinical trials. She finalized her degree in biology from UC San Diego later in life, at age 36. After 18 years of working towards her diploma, it became personally important to Skylar to find a viable path to utilize and strengthen her degree in a hands-on format. When she saw an announcement for the scholarship and the time flexibility of the program in brewing, it felt like a natural next step — and a different way to think about science. The Brewing for Diversity scholarship presented her with a fresh perspective on brewing as a creative and social path to gaining experience with science and experimentation. She views the opportunity as a means to enhance her knowledge of brewing as both art and science and to ultimately advance diversity in communities.
Elia is a first-generation immigrant and the youngest of eight siblings born and raised in Mexico. Her passion for fermentation and well-being developed early: Elia’s father was a Physical Chemist and her mother was often fermenting foods in the family’s kitchen. With a formal education in STEM and a BA in Chemistry, she currently works in medical case management and continues her studies in traditional Chinese medicine and home brewing. Elia seeks to invigorate the elements of inclusion, health, and belonging in the beer industry, and sees an enormous opportunity to increase the appeal of fermented beverages through experimentation to a broader audience including women and cultures that may not drink these products brewed using traditional techniques.
According to the Brewers Association’s brewery employee diversity data, current race and ethnicity demographics of U.S. brewery employees skew overwhelmingly white for production staff (76.2%) and brewers (89%), and exceedingly male with only…
