About the Founder.
Dr. Lennon “Lenny” Goins, was born October 11, 1953, in Tifton, GA. One of 12 children, his parents eked out a living as sharecroppers. He worked hard in school and became the first in his family to attend a university, UCSD, and the first to receive a graduate degree, a DDS from the University of Southern California. Lenny then served four years in the United States Navy as a lieutenant, following which he opened his dental practice in La Jolla, California, near UCSD. Committed to giving back, as his practice flourished Lenny founded the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund and raised additional money to help more deserving Black students attend his alma mater.
Dr. Goins also served on the Board of Trustees of the UCSD Foundation and organized numerous fundraising efforts in support of the scholarship fund. In 1998 he moved the scholarship fund off campus into an endowment at the San Diego Foundation (TSDF).
Although Lenny is no longer with us, his legacy lives on with the hundreds of students who have benefited in the past and the thousands who will benefit in the future from the scholarship fund he started over four decades ago.
In 2016, the scholarship’s alumni board upgraded the scholarship into an enriched scholarship program to ensure full engagement of its Scholars with campus academic and student support resources available to all students, but often not utilized by those who need them the most. In June of 2025 the board unanimously voted to rename the scholarship fund as the Dr. Lennon Goins Alumni Scholarship Fund (or GASF) in honor of its founder. In keeping with his vision, the GASF board seeks to grow the endowment from its current level of $3.5 million to at least $10 Million over the next 5 years. (See Campaign page.)
Enhancing the UCSD community and the San Diego region by attracting outstanding service and leadership-oriented students to UCSD through scholarships, along with enrichment programs tailored to the interests and needs of students that need the most support to feel a strong sense of belonging at UCSD.
Scholars are competitively selected from applicants who have (a) been admitted to UCSD, (b) engaged in volunteer service to socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and/or individuals, (c) served in leadership roles, (d) demonstrated the ability to overcome major challenges, (e) demonstrated a keen awareness of the most glaring socioeconomic disparities impacting our society and an intention to help address this issue, and (f) planned to be an engaged student at UCSD. Financial need is another consideration.
The scholarship strongly encourages and supports participation in academic and other enrichment activities (e.g., summer transition programs, living on campus for 2 years, experiential learning activities, alumni mentoring and faculty engagement, mentor contact).
As it grows, the GASF Program will significantly increase enrollment of high-achieving, service-oriented students at UCSD and add vitality to the San Diego region though increasing numbers of outstanding, skilled, civic-minded UCSD graduates ready for careers in research, technology, education, business, the arts, non-profit organizations, and public service.
Kyra Bader, MBA
Director of Operations Project Management, Quidel Ortho
Mae Brown, MS
UCSD Assistant Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management (Retired)
Manuelita Brown, MS
Renowned Artist & Sculptor, Tsahai Studio
Barry C Johnson, PhD
Sr. Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Honeywell International (Retired)
Board Member, UC San Diego Board of Trustees
Fnann Keflezighi, MA
UCSD Alumna ’11
Tylar Pendgraft, MFA
Director of Programs,
ReadyEdgeGo
Sarah Spear-Barrett
Dean of Academic Advising (Retired)
Edward Spriggs, JD
UCSD Associate Vice Chancellor Student Affairs (Retired)
Mary Taylor, EDD
Associate Chief Diversity Officer for Outreach and Success, San Diego State University
Joseph Watson, PhD
UCSD Professor and Vice Chancellor Student Affairs Emeritus
Alonzo White, MD
Chief Medical Officer for Medicare, Blue Cross/Blue Shield
(Retired)