Each year, every California State University campus nominates a student to compete for a $10,000 award.

The System Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement honors students who excel academically, participate in community service and have experienced significant obstacles in their lifetime.

Tim Sain, Chico State graduate student and aspiring teacher, received this year’s honor and plans to use the money to further his education.

Sain applied for a different grant to continue his education and had no idea that $10,000 dollars and a rewarding title was coming his way.

“This award means a lot — it is an affirmation that people can still succeed,” Sain said. “Nowadays college is hardly an option for some students coming out of high school, because of our economy, even teachers who teach seniors suggests alternatives for colleges.”

Growing up in Washington, Sain was not headed in the right direction, he said. He started to reach out to his local community to help him change his life.

“Everything came crashing down and happened all at the right time,” said Sain.

Sain often helps with conferences that involve discussions about parenting and keeping children healthy.

Sain is going to spend his award on tuition and his family. He has a wife who is also a full-time student and three children.

“I hear my children talking about college and it excites me,” he said. “Especially because they see what I am doing.”

Sain never thought his life would turn out this way but he has had much help and inspiration along the way, he said.

Sain’s grandmother was a huge part of his life but she was not alive to see the changes he made in his life, he said.

“She had a big heart and was definitely the driving force to help me change my life,” Sain said. “She always had this saying, ‘The best thing to ever do in life is to help others.’”

DJ Morris can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.