We 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, co-chaired by Lesley Salo and Cindi Segale, 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 timeline.
As in previous years, worthy candidates documented both their academic and community achievements with transcripts and letters of recommendation. However, the interview phase, which gives the Scholarships Committee members invaluable insights as to how these aspiring anthropologists, engineers, nurses, performing artists and physicians have defied overwhelming challenges to realize their dreams, was absent due to the COVID-19 virus.
Likewise, the awards ceremony where Scholarships recipients acknowledged the generosity of foundations, individual donors (chapter members included) and revenue earned at the Assistance League Thrift Shop at the Way Side Inn, the chapter’s primary fundraiser located in Lafayette, were absent. Also absent was Scholarships recipients’ collective message, “…the emotional support that they will cherish enhances the very much appreciated financial support.”
The 2020 Scholarships recipients from Contra Costa County high schools include Arine Kim, Jeana Lee, Kristen Ly, Kayla Munguia, Ngoc Nguyen, Abigail Rickli, Avery Rickli and Nanthaya Verweij.
Foster Youth Scholarships are awarded to Christiana Aranda, Taylor Bazile, Miah Cole, Severine Crouse, Dwayna Dixon and Kimberly Lechuga.
Scholarships awardees who are graduating from Contra Costa County Community Colleges and transferring to 4-year universities are Isabella Davis, Yijing Hu, Gerberth Lopez Mendez, and Socoro Tamayo-Perez.
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 fields. This year’s recipients are Enrique Bararjas Fragoso, Andrew Braken, Christopher Hipolito, Whitney Hutapea, Cindy Lopez Ceja, Monica Nooori-Saghar, Jorge Parades, Selene Prado Rodriguez, Sophia Scipi, Kearsten Simoni and Yingiun Tan.
This year’s Spotlight on You Scholarship is awarded to Marie Castillo for demonstrating particularly strong focus on her educational goals that lead to a career path in her chosen field.
The Lisa Parker Hurst High School Scholarship requires that the recipients graduate from one of four high schools in Mount Diablo Unified School District and are entering an accredited four-year college and maintain a designated grade point average. This year’s recipients are Anthony Linares Roldan and Aztrid Nunez.
The Returning to School Scholarship is awarded to Natasha Dabney, a life-long learner who will further her studies in Nursing.
A specially funded scholarship, the Judy Oliphant/Mardis Preciado Memorial Scholarship honors two Assistance League of Diablo Valley members who have passed away. Congratulations go to Asal Bastani, who will study Biology at UCLA and Nicole Tria, who will pursue studies in Business Administration/Accounting at Cal Poly, SLO.
This year’s awardees for the Judy Oliphant Memorial Scholarship are Assim Yahya, second year recipient, and Michael Yao, third year recipient. 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.
Congratulations to all! The Universities of California at Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles and Irvine, Stanford, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of Southern California, California State Universities, as well as Diablo Valley College await. Scholarships Committee members look forward to following the additional accomplishments of these remarkable students in the ensuing years.
