Vista Irrigation District Announces Student Contest Winners by Vista Irrigation District May 13, 2026 Member Submitted News VISTA — Vista Irrigation District awarded college scholarships to five high school seniors and selected three fourth-grade students from the local community as winners of two separate district sponsored contests. A Scholarship in the amount of $3,000 was awarded to Rahel Chiwai from MissionCharbel Vista High School, Taylor Sheridan from Rancho Buena Vista High School received a $2,500 scholarship, and $1,000 scholarships were awarded to Stephanie Aguilar from Mission Vista High School, Kawai Chau from Rancho Buena Vista High School and Yahir Landeros of Vista High School as winners in the Vista Irrigation District 2026 scholarship contest. Charbel Merhi, a fourth-grade student from St. Francis of Assisi School, received first place honors from the district for his entry in the 2026 Water Awareness Poster Contest; he received a $100 award. Riley Semer also from St. Francis of Assisi School and Zoey Watts of Empresa Elementary School received ($50) second place and ($25) third place awards, respectively, for their entries in the contest. The purpose of the scholarship contest, which is open to high school seniors living within the district’s service area, is to increase the knowledge and awareness of water related issues affecting the district. Five high school seniors submitted applications this year. The poster contest, which targets students in the fourth grade, is designed to promote an understanding of water issues in elementary schools. This year’s theme was “Love Water, Save Water.” The three winning posters were selected from 168 entries based upon their depiction of the theme, artwork, originality, and poster design. All three winners’ artwork will appear in the 2027 Water Awareness Calendar, which will be available, free of charge, at the district’s office in November 2026. Vista Irrigation District is a public agency governed by an elected five-member board. The district provides water service to roughly 135,000 people in the city of Vista, and portions of San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, and unincorporated areas of the county of San Diego.
