By Khalida Sarwari
Three local Kiwanis clubs awarded $1,000 scholarships to 20 graduating seniors who turned their lives around after rocky starts in their freshman year.
The students were given the scholarships at the 17th annual Turnaround Scholarship luncheon on May 4 at San Jose’s Three Flames Restaurant. The scholarships were funded by fundraisers and donations from all 16 San Jose area clubs, including Los Gatos and Campbell.
The scholarships are available to any student who has faced and overcome some kind of adversity, whether related to drugs and alcohol or issues such as homelessness or abuse. The students are chosen by a counselor at their school, who recommends them to the Kiwanis clubs on the basis that they’ve shown an improvement in their grades from their freshman to senior years.
Selected students receive $1,000 for every year they are in an institution of higher learning, whether it is a university, community college or vocational school, as long as they maintain a passing grade point average. The scholarship money is sent directly to their school of choice.
At the luncheon, each student recipient shared his or her story of hardship and triumph.
“The stories were moving, emotional and awe-inspiring,” said chairman of the scholarship committee Michael Rubino.
This year, scholarships were awarded to Oscar Caldera, William Mestizo and Stephanie Vizcarra from San Jose High; John Calderon from Silver Creek High; Jasmine Cano from Liberty High; Valeria Cortez-Valencia and Christian Pico from Lincoln High; Janae Gaines from Career Academy; Itzayana Garcia-Mojica and Victoria Lopez from Leland High; Dylan Handley and Trevor Kirtland from Pioneer High; Khristian Hernandez from Broadway High; Nancy Herrera and Nicole Williams from Willow Glen High; Erica Quevedo-Zamudio and Angelica Sandoval from Gunderson High; Matthew Rocha from Middle College; Beatriz Sanjuan from Downtown College Prep; and Guadalupe Vasquez from Latino College Prep.
The scholarship luncheon was attended by the student recipients, their family members and their school advisers. The Kiwanis clubs of Willow Glen, Almaden Valley and Pueblo de San Jose hosted the event.
Much of the scholarship money–nearly $50,000–was raised at a benefit dinner held in Campbell in March by the South Bay chapter of the Kiwanis Club. Separately, the clubs have raised roughly $100,000.
The Willow Glen club will be raising funds for the scholarships at the 10th annual Music in the Glen outdoor concert series Thursday evenings from June 21 through Aug. 2 on the Willow Glen Elementary School campus.
For more information on how to make a donation to the Turnaround Scholarship fund, contact Michael Rubino at michaelrubino@sbcglobal.net or visit www.kiwanisclubofwillowglen.com.
