You know you've made it when a university names a scholarship after you.

Just ask Assemblyman Simón Salinas, for whom California State University, Monterey Bay, is naming its newest scholarship.

"I was the first one in my family to go to college, and I got a $250 scholarship" Salinas said Wednesday. "You realize every little bit helps when you are struggling."

On Friday, CSUMB President Peter Smith will formally announce the scholarship at a news conference and provide details about it, said CSUMB spokeswoman Holly White.

"I hope that students apply for it," Salinas said. "I was helped out, so hopefully students can get help to realize their potential."

Neither Salinas nor university officials would say how much is in the scholarship fund. The money comes from Salinas' campaign contributions in 2000. The leftover money has to be given back to its donors or given to a nonprofit, Salinas said.

Salinas said he hopes the scholarship will benefit minority and migrant students. "I thought this would be a good way to give some money to CSUMB," Salinas said.

Also at the CSUMB news conference Friday, Smith will discuss possible impacts if the school's Educational Opportunity Program is cut from the state's budget.