Assistance League awards $252,000 in scholarships to area students

By Betty Miller

Scholarships

Committee members look forward to following the additional accomplishments of these remarkable students in the ensuing years.

Since 1999, Assistance League® of Diablo Valley’s Scholarships program, presently co-chaired by Carol Johnston and Susan Klipfel, has provided financial and emotional support to high school, community college and university students as well as 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 timeline.

During the Awards presentation held on May 10, at Boundary Oak, in Walnut Creek, Scholarships recipients, i.e., future mechanical engineers, biologists, nurses, musicians, anthropologists, et al, acknowledged the generosity of foundations, individual donors (chapter members included) and revenue earned at the Assistance League Thrift Shop, the chapter’s primary fundraiser located in Lafayette. Their collective message, “I want to thank my family for their sacrifice and support…Life’s struggles made me the person I am today and now I have the financial capability to pursue my dreams…I will be the first in my family to graduate from college…I am a single mother with two kids…educators are a great influence in my life…”

The 2023-24 High School Scholarship recipients from Contra Costa County high schools include Alexander Aceves, Sheridan Donavon-Stauder, Kailey Gotfried, Apikaila Jeong, Brendan Kariithi, Patrick Lawson, Martin Leung, Uche Moghalu, Diego Moreno Espinoza, Kaitlan Nguyen, Colin Olairez, Helen O’Neal, Lauren Philips, Daniela Santos Hernandos, Parker Stephens, Madison Tan, Renzel Tansiatco, Tori Umana Almaraz, Shira WeissIshai, Athena Zapantis.

The Foster Youth Scholarship recipients are Sabrina Alvarez,

Angel Bui, Trey Guillory, Savannah Lee, Amber Lucas, Sheila McKinney, O’ne Kara’ Lina Moore, Angel Owens, Tenaji Pollard, Abigail Rickli, Avery Rickli, and Isabelle Saro.

Community College Scholarship awardees who are graduating from Contra Costa County Community Colleges and transferring to four-year universities are Fulati Aizihaer, Jennifer Bacon, Lily Benney, Nina Campbell, Chrissy Chien, Ruben Duenas, Sarah Fiveash, Hollins Matthews, Samantha Michael, Stephany Miranda Mendoza, Karla Morales de Leon, Sarim Mundres, Daniela Perez, Kamryn Smith, and Andrea Sosa Pineda.

The Specially Funded 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 fields include Anson Anonuevo, Morsell Arghandiwal, Henrietta Awuah-Antwi, Cassius Carandang, Alizei Gonzales De Leon, Jordynne Hesselroth, Yujin Huh, Jeana Lee, Alejandro Lopez-Vaca, Isabella Lopez, Kayla Munguia, Jordan Nouri, Amber Peake and Diego Riverbay.

The Lisa Parker Hurst Award requires that the recipients graduate from one of five high schools in Mount Diablo Unified School District and enter an accredited four-year college, where they will maintain a designated grade point average went to Sophia Florez Bermudez, Jasira Gay, Alan Montano and Josue Toribio Madrigal.

The Returning to School Scholarship is awarded to life-long learners Monica Chicas, Ray Howard, Carly Huen and Abudureyimu “Noor” Zainuer.

Congratulations to all! The Universities of California -Berkeley -San Diego, -Davis, -Irvine, -Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, California State Universities, University of Alabama, Berklee College of Music, Johns Hopkins, Columbia University as well as Diablo Valley College, to name a few, await.

To learn more about the Scholarships Program, as well as Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s other 15 philanthropic programs, please visit this website: assistanceleague.org/diablo-valley.