2020 Scholarship Recipients

Kathryn, a gifted ballerina has been part of the Los Al dance team throughout her high school years. She says that the dance team has brought her confidence, wonderful experiences and friendships that will last a life time. However, she also has a deep commitment to her church and helping others who are less fortunate. 

Participating in the Midnight Soldiers, a program that provides food, blankets and clothing to homeless people on Skid Row, Kathryn developed a desire to find a way that she could impact the homeless in her community. Participation in School on Wheels, a program that pairs a volunteer tutor with a homeless student to provide academic assistance, allowed Kathryn an opportunity of fulfill that desire. 

Kathryn has served on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Los Alamitos Rossmoor Library for two years and she plans on attending Brigham Young University in the fall. We wish her the very best in the years to come. 

Mitchell has been a member of the Los Alamitos High School Straight A Club for all four high school years. He is a member of CSF and the National Honor Society. For three years he has been a member of the Cross Country and Track Teams earning Scholar Athlete Awards all three years in both sports. 

Combining his commitment to the Boy Scouts and his devotion to his church Mitchell earned his Eagle Scout badge by preforming a remodel and renovating miracle on his church. His renovations included painting the interior, replacing the front doors, installing a fan and a TV, building cabinets and replacing 180 feet of rusty chain link fencing. 

In his spare time, (if there is any) Mitchell enjoys art, hiking, scuba diving and is an environmentalist. He has been accepted to four California schools he hasn’t made a final decision. However, he knows he will be studying Aeronautical Engineering and math. Good Luck Mitchell!  

Katie and Laura Anne are twins, winners and both recipients of this year’s student scholarships. 

Katie was the team captain of the Academic Decathlon and on the LAHS JV and Varsity Basketball teams. She feels that basketball has taught her persistence and patience while the Academic Decathlon has fostered leadership, responsibility and has served as a catalyst for developing time-management skills.

Her involvement in Girl Scouts started in the first grade helped Katie to develop a love of STEM and a desire to share her knowledge with those who live in underprivileged communities. Taking her basketball interest into the community she volunteered for two basketball camps that provides special needs children and their families a fun and supportive environment to learn through playing basketball.

Katie’s love of literature has expressed itself through her participation in Los Al’s Literary Alliance club and her involvement on the OC Library Teen Advisory Board. She also served two years as teen representative on the Friends of the Los Alamitos Rossmoor Library executive board.

Laura Ann like her sister leads a very active academic and social life. She is also a member of the Academic Decathlon team and is team captain of the LAHS Girls Basketball team. When Laura Ann was named Event Commissioner in her 11th and 12 grades she was able to use her skills to collaborate with companies and other clubs in creating fundraising events. 

Outside of school Laura Ann is also active in the Rascals Basketball camp and is on the Orange County Library Teen Advisory Board. Using her volunteer work with the kids at Casa Youth Center as a spring board this enterprising young woman became an advocate for run-away teens. Taking this firsthand knowledge to school with her she educated her peers on issues of mental health and substance abuse. 

The list of this students’ accomplishments is long indeed but we must also include her active participation in the UNICEF club and Growing Up STEM. 

Both of these wonderful young women will be attending UCLA in the fall. Best of luck girls! 

Michela is an accomplished pianist and started a club called Los Alamitos Music Students Community Outreach Program (LAMSCOP). Every month they visit senior nursing homes and hold performances for the patients. 

Active in the Growing Up STEM program at her school her love of science and STEM has become her passion. She participates in monthly science nights at local elementary schools, guiding students through scientific experiments and teaching them more about STEM. 

The Teen Advisory Board at the Rossmoor Library is another of Michela’s interests. This committee makes library resources more well known to teenagers and works on the summer reading program at the library. 

To relax and take her mind off her studies Michela turns to tennis. Since her freshmen year she has used her time on the tennis court to take her mind off studies. Then she is able to return to her work with a refreshed mind. 

Michela will be attending UC Berkley next fall and majoring in Environmental Science. 

Camila is a very active student who in addition to her involvement in the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and Spanish Honor Society, also volunteers to set up school and community events and tutors students. She loves her involvement in the Growing Up Stem program at local elementary schools.

However her main love and talent lies in the Arts. This fall she will be attending Cal State University Fullerton. She is majoring in studio art with a concentration in animation and illustration. She is also developing personal projects in experimental animation.

Using the library has broadened her perspective, exploring different categories within the arts. This exploration sparked an interest in studying the fundamentals of art including perspective and anatomy. Her library endeavors lead to Camila’s discovery of renaissance art, nature photography, graphic novels, Disney art collections and many more treasures. Keep up the good work and Best Wishes to you Camila Vallejo! 

Brian  is an active member of the Boy Scouts earning the rank of Eagle Scout. His scout project involved the Garden Grove Chapman Library where he set up hands on interactive Lego tables and built an outdoor space to house the growing children’s programs.

Running is also a passion for Brian. He says that running tract on the Los Alamitos Cross Country track team taught him patience, diligence and determination.

He created the Outdoor Adventure Club that welcomes all comers to enjoy the great outdoors. An avid Java coder Brian wishes to become an electrical engineer and eventually work for Google. We were very impressed with the ambitious time line Brian has set out for himself charting his academic and vocational career goals for the next 20 years. We are sure he will be super successful in making these plans a reality. He will begin his college studies next semester at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo. Good luck Brian!

The Friends are pleased to offer $1,000 scholarships to area students who are high school seniors. A maximum of five scholarships will be presented this year.

General Instructions

• Applications are available through the Los Alamitos High School Naviance system, or from the link at the bottom of this page.
• It must be returned to:

                   Friends of the Los Alamitos/Rossmoor Library

                   c/o Sandy Tessier

                   4825 Ironwood Ave.

                   Seal Beach, CA 90740

• The application must be postmarked or submitted in person by Friday, April 24, 2020.
• You may retype the questions, but please do not include any additional pages. 
• Scholarship Recipients must be able to attend the Friends of the Library meeting on the afternoon of Sunday, June 14, 2020 to receive their award. (Dates of the Friends special event may be subject to change depending on the conditions surrounding the Coronavirus sequestering requirements.)
• Students must be attending an accredited college, university, trade or vocational school for the fall of 2020. 

The application must be completely filled out and all requested documentation attached in order for the application to be considered. All information on this application will be kept CONFIDENTIAL.