“Thank you! Thank you! We won’t let you down.”
Since 1999, Assistance League® of Diablo Valley’s Scholarships program has provided financial and emotional support to high school, community college, university students and returnees to the academic community. Each applicant has expressed a desire to advance through education by maintaining a designated grade point average, volunteering in campus and community projects, and charting an academic time line.
While these requirements document both academic and community achievements, the interview phase gives the Scholarships Committee members invaluable insights as to how these aspiring automotive technicians, airline pilots, teachers, nurses, political scientists and economists have defied overwhelming challenges to realize their dreams while giving back to the community. Several are returning recipients.
At a recent awards ceremony, Scholarships Chairman Lesley Salo introduced the deserving candidates by stating that she was thrilled with the number of recipients this year and attributed it to the generous donors and chapter members who work at the Way Side Inn Thrift Shop, the chapter’s primary fundraiser located in Lafayette. She added, “We do believe in you!” A former Scholarships recipientin 2003, Nathaniel Goldberg, now a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, prefaced the awardees’ presentations with congratulations. He added that the honor represents more than financial assistance; it proves that people have faith in them. Goldberg concluded with a heartfelt thank-you to Assistance League of Diablo Valley.
2018 Scholarships recipients from Contra Costa County high schools include Luz Alba Hernandez, Sabrina Alvarez, Joshua Brodit, Pedro Garcia Isidro, Natash Gentry, Ashanea Green-Compton, Lorenzo Jackson, Sarah Jahid, Seaira Knopoff, Kailas Krivanka, Seung Won Lee, Sienna Marley, Ngoc Trinh Nguyen, Tyler Riverbay, Antonio Santeliz, Yingjun Tan, Reilly Terao, Jovany Vallejo Martinez, Ke-Jon Swift, Aasim Yahya, and Timothy Yao.
Scholarships awardees who attend Contra Costa County Community colleges include Yaritzy Alvarez-Lopez, Anthony Andrade, Taylor Bazile, Melanie Carniglia, Brittany Chauvin, Claire Costelli, Rita Garcia Snook, Erika Gutierrez, Erika Hickey,TahmenaNawaki, Shabnam Nushin, Cherreyle Poindexter, Justin Rieger, Erin Rosales, Alejandro Ruvalcaba, and Eric Wagner.
The Spotlight Scholarship, which is renewable each year, is awarded to students who show particularly strong focus on their educational goals that lead to a career path in their chosen field. Recipients are Jomari Fernandez, Jason Frost, Jacqueline Inclan, Juan Lopez Mendes, Diane Neypes, Selene Prado Rodrigues and Alison Spencer.
More specifically, the Spotlight on You Scholarship, unique in that it is renewable, addresses vocational and technology education. This year’s recipients are Imaree Cross, Terra de Haan, and Steven Garcia.
A recently specially funded scholarship, the Judy Oliphant Memorial Scholarship, honors an Assistance League member who passed away last year. Funding for the $15,000 multi-year award came from individual donors in appreciation for the years of financial support Ms. Oliphant provided the organization’s scholarships program. This year’s recipient is Michael Yo, a student attending the California Institute of Technology pursuing a career in academic medicine and research.
Additionally, the Future Teacher Scholarship has been awarded to Karen Kirchner who will pursue a degree in elementary education at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Likewise, the Sandi Lu Back-to-School Scholarship supports a student who has returned to school after a long absence. Crystal Quintanilla, a mother of two, is this year’s recipient.
The Charles and Jo Lupsha Memorial Scholarship funds two years of college education to first time recipients who demonstrate a desire to complete their studies. This year’s recipients are Claudia Jaurgui and Duc Turney.
Congratulations to all! The University of California and the California State University Systems, as well as St. Mary’s College and Azuza Pacific University await. Scholarships Committee members look forward to following your additional accomplishments in the ensuing years.
To learn more about the Scholarships program, as well as Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s other philanthropic programs, please visit this website: diablovalley.assistanceleague.org.
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