2022 - Scholarship Program

Luke, a resident of Fountain Valley, has been in competitive club level foil fencing for 10 years, qualifying for USA Junior Olympics, USA National Championships and the USA Fencing All-American Team. He also participated in an Air Rifle Schutzen Team for 5 years winning a trophy and medals. Luke founded a Literacy Club at the High School and joined the Hydrogen Remote Control Are Team. He served as a volunteer youth coach and referee at the fencing center ad church youth project leader.

Through these activities, he has learned "time management, sportsmanship, perseverance and positive ways to cope with pressure . .  . [as well as]  focus, control, accountability and the importance of following safety rules" [not to mention] empathy for others." During the pandemic, Luke developed a program for online tutoring for children of health care workers as well as organized free service to seniors for grocery shopping, yardwork and fruit harvesting. 

He plans to study mechanical engineering.

"Music is a vital part of y life and singing allows me to express my emotions. While participating in this program requires dedication and hard work, the rewards are multitude," says Camille from Westminster. 

She has also been a member of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and a small group Confirmation leader at her church. "For the past two years I have led a group of teens in discussions, prayer, songs and activities. It is important that these teens build a strong foundation of faith in a world where it is so often elusive"

Camille plans on attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, majoring in Biology. "I have a special interest in gene research for developing cancer treatments."

Andria a resident of Bellflower joined the Ethnic Studies club because she is "passionate about my culture and learning about other cultures; and I also believe in giving a voice to marginalized groups."

She has also been active in her church - reading to kids during the service and participating in community workshops by Association of Raza Educators. 

"As a first generation American, I feel fortunate in obtaining these sorts of opportunities. My parents came to this country to give me and my sister a better life, and I believe it is my duty to take advantage of the numerous educational opportunities that I find along my path. I feel the need to make my parents proud for all their hard work and dedication to our family."

Her plan is to attend California State University Long Beach.

Fiona of Los Alamitos, has held officer positions in the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and CSF. "In each of these roles, I get to exercise leadership skills and work toward helping both my school and community through volunteering and community service," she said.

Fiona is a member of Long Beach Junior Crew which "holds a special place in my heart as it has taught me cooperation and teamwork skill as well as great organization and time management skills that I use in my daily life." She has also been a Girl Scout since kindergarten and a summer camp counselor for Youth Center Camp.

Her plan is to attend the University of California at Berkley as an English major with the intent to continue to law school.

Diego, of Rossmoor, earned a Black Belt in Hapkido at age 15, and continued at the studio as a volunteer and then a teacher. He played water polo, competed in show choir, and participated in Seal Beach Junior Lifeguards.

"All of these activities allowed me to grow and mature and I learned that teamwork is important in all aspects of life. I gained confidence in performing in front of an audience. It was Hapkido, however, that had the biggest impact on my life. Through the study of martial arts I learned valuable lessons in overcoming adversity, self-respect and respect for others, self-control and resiliency . . .

The experiences I got from teaching are the most important to me because I know those kids looked up to me and still do. I know I have had a positive impact on their lives. . . I learned what it means to be a leader by example."

Diego has been a life-long reader and writer and plans "to continue my love of storytelling with a career in film and television."

"Cross country has been an extremely important part of life, as it allowed me to find a secure and close community at my high school," says Cody, who is from Garden Grove. It "not only helped me improve my physical health, but helped me gain self-confidence, as I was able to find a sense of individualism and safety in such a large and diverse community."

Joining E-Sports Club "allowed me to find an equilibrium between my responsibilities in school and passion for gaming and competition." Cody gained leadership skill through involvement with those clubs and activities as well as Spanish Honor Society and Science Olympiad. He has also volunteered for weekly Vietnamese tutoring school. "American culture continues to dominate and shape my personal life," but his volunteering has allowed him "to establish a strong and personal connection with my ancestral culture and traditions."

He plans to study Chemical Biology at the University of California, Berkley.

Kendal, a resident of Los Alamitos, served as a leader for the Dance Team and Mentors for the Youth, a school club where high schoolers involved in the arts, sports and academics mentor younger LAUSD students who are seeking guidance and preparation for their high school careers.

She has also been a part of Advanced Dance, and was an inducted Thespian for the high school drama troupe. She has been a member of National Honors Society, CSF and Spanish Honors Society. She also served as the student representative for the Friends of the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Library, volunteering at book sales, updating the board about LAUSD events and running the Facebook page.

Kendal has also volunteered at St. Hedwig Autumnfest, sung the National Anthem at multiple festivals, substitute taught at her dance studio and demonstrated for dance camps at the high school.

She helped coordinate the 2020 Senior Car Parade for the Rossmoor Homeowners Association. She described this as "one of the most heartwarming events I was given the pleasure of putting together. . . "Seeing all of my friends not be able to close their senior year with a normal graduation got me down, but giving them this unique celebration for their hard work inspired me to continue to find ways to bring my community closer."

Kendal has committed to the University of California, Irvine to study dance at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts..

Marina, a resident of Seal Beach, has been playing the piano since she was five, and has taken top places in state and international competitions with the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall and in Rome.

Her involvement in Peer 1 on 1, a community organization that provides social inclusion for youth on the autism spectrum and other developmental disorders, and through Project ECHO, an entrepreneurship where she helped create a mobile application to connect families with special needs children with therapists and caregivers, helped her "find a way to help kids with autism on a broad level" and made her "realize that I could achieve and accomplish more by teaming up with others . . . and could create a greater change for the community."

Marina plans to attend UC Berkley and study psychology.