Toyota Awards $1.12 Million in Scholarships to 100 High School Seniors
LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 9, 2003 -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) rewarded 100 high school seniors with $1.12 million in college scholarships for their commitment to education and community service at an awards banquet tonight.
The winners, who make up the seventh class of Toyota Community Scholars, were chosen from a pool of nearly 10,000 students nationwide nominated by their schools. To be eligible, students must be proven leaders both in the classroom and in their communities.
Based on the countless service projects of the 2003 class, it is clear these 100 students view community service not as an obligation, but a way of life. As one Scholar, Kathleen Parks of Reisterstown, Md., put it: "The gratification I felt from helping others in need and the knowledge that I truly made a difference resulted in my lifelong commitment to service and volunteerism."
For the 2003 class, their dreams of making a difference became reality through programs ranging from providing aid to orphans in Asia, to raising over $100,000 to improve the lives of children suffering from cancer, to promoting and celebrating cultural differences among students.
"These students are true leaders," said Michael Rouse, TMS corporate manager of philanthropy and community affairs. "At a young age, they have already learned and demonstrated the importance of reaching out and giving back. They are an inspiration to us all."
The scholarships are valued at $20,000 or $10,000 each, over four years, for study at a four-year college or university starting in the fall of 2003. Since the Toyota Community Scholars program began in 1997, TMS has awarded $7.84 million in scholarships to 700 students across the U.S.
Oliver Yeh, a Toyota Community Scholar residing in Sandy, Utah, is a prime example of the dedication to community service exhibited by this year's class. Yeh is responsible for raising over $50,000 in cash and donated medical services to treat children with facial deformities in over 20 countries.
Consequently, Yeh, like many of the Scholars, found community service to be the roadmap to what he wants to do in the future. "Our efforts will make a difference in changing lives, one smile at a time. My experience has inspired me to become a physician," he said.
The Toyota Community Scholars program is administered by Educational Testing Services in Princeton, N.J. The 12 national winners ($20,000 each) and 88 regional winners ($10,000 each) were selected by a panel of college and university admissions officials from across the U.S.
The scholarship winners were guests of honor tonight at an awards banquet in Louisville that was attended by education, community, business and government leaders. Dr. George McKenna III, who transformed one of Los Angeles' most troubled high schools from a failing institution to one where nearly 80 percent of the graduates go on to college, was the featured speaker.
The two-and-a-half-day program included a tour of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc., in Georgetown, which builds the Camry, Avalon and Solara vehicles. In addition, the Scholars cruised the Ohio River on the Belle of Louisville (a historic paddle wheeler) and attended college preparation briefings.
NOTE TO EDITORS: *A list of Toyota Community Scholars is attached. *A "snapshot" of specific community service projects is attached.
*Upon request, digital photographs of individual Scholars can be sent electronically. Please e-mail request to: aeggers@guthriemayes.com
2003 TOYOTA COMMUNITY SCHOLARS
CITY HIGH SCHOOL
ALABAMA
Andrew Newton Florence Mars Hill Bible School
ALASKA
Corey Rennell * Anchorage Steller Secondary School
ARIZONA
Avi Feller Scottsdale Chaparral High School
Joseph Fu Mesa Dobson High School
ARKANSAS
Bing Xia Bentonville Bentonville High School
CALIFORNIA
Laurel Angelica La Canada Flintridge Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy
Bryce Caswell Portola Portola High School
Alia Khalil San Diego Torrey Pines High School
Colleen Lamarre San Diego San Diego School of Creative
Performing Arts
Shashi Menon Vista Rancho Buena Vista High School
Bryan Mochizuki Clovis Floyd B. Buchanan High School
Elizabeth Woo San Francisco Lowell High School
COLORADO
John Deniston Colorado Springs Colorado Springs Christian School
Senayt Rahwa Denver George Washington High School
CONNECTICUT
Jeffrey Muskus Westport Fairfield High School
Ilisia Shuke Hartford Bulkeley High School
FLORIDA
Ian Amber * Pinecrest Miami Palmetto Senior High School
Christopher Cook Cooper City Cooper City High School
Brandon Einstein Golden Beach Pine Crest School
Amanda Walters Jacksonville Stanton College Preparatory
School
GEORGIA
Amelia Rawls Atlanta The Westminster Schools
Savannah Solomon Tyrone Sandy Creek High School
HAWAII
Corey Johnson * Hilo Hilo High School
Blake Kurisu * Hilo Waiakea High School
IDAHO
Sarah Iverson Moreland Snake River High School
Elise Tateoka Hazelton Valley High School
ILLINOIS
Chandler Hatch La Grange Lyons Township High School
Jennifer Hudson Roscoe Hononegah Community High School
Jennifer Przybylo Lincolnwood Saint Ignatius College
Preparatory
INDIANA
Erin Elliott Warsaw Warsaw Community High School
Kathryn Kendall Evansville North High School
IOWA
Kristin Lee Iowa City City High School
KANSAS
Nancy Cheng Wichita Wichita High School East
Lindsey Jones Sedgwick Sedgwick High School
KENTUCKY
Elizabeth Scoville East Bernstadt North Laurel High School
LOUISIANA
Shawane Fletcher Vacherie Saint James High School
Erin Husbands * Marksville Marksville High School
Elise Sipos Abita Springs Covington High School
Elizabeth Staton Lafayette Lafayette High School
MARYLAND
Kathleen Parks * Reisterstown Franklin High
Kimberlie Sage Pomfret Maurice J. McDonough High School
MASSACHUSETTS
Offiong Bassey Cambridge Noble and Greenough School
MICHIGAN
Bharath Surapaneni Clarkston Clarkston Senior High School
John Szymusiak Farmington North Farmington High School
MINNESOTA
Katie Crosbie * Lakeville Lakeville Senior High School
Brigham Wilson Plymouth Robbinsdale Cooper High School
MISSISSIPPI
Michael Seger New Albany Ingomar Attendance Center
MISSOURI
Siir Kilkis Springfield Greenwood Laboratory School
Nathan Skelley Joplin Joplin High School
Chloe Woods * Saint Louis Mary Institute & Country Day
School
MONTANA
Ryan Majerus Billings Billings West High School
NEBRASKA
Wravenna Phipps Kearney Sonrise Christian Academy
NEVADA
Sarah Newman Sun Valley Earl Wooster High School
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Kevin Koo * Nashua Nashua High School
Tyler Spindel Manchester Manchester Central High School
NEW JERSEY
Carol Duh Flemington Hunterdon Central Regional High
School
Blair Hornstine * Moorestown Moorestown High School
Sarah Howard Piscataway Piscataway High School
Temima Strauss Bergenfield Ma'Ayanot Yeshiva High School for
Girls
NEW MEXICO
Matthew Owens Hobbs Hobbs High School
NEW YORK
Lauren McPhillips Montgomery Valley Central High School
Jose Ramirez Brooklyn Grover Cleveland High School
NORTH CAROLINA
Vanessa Barnett-Loro Durham North Carolina School of Science
& Mathematics
Ashley Forte Durham Southern High School
NORTH DAKOTA
Kathryn Simpson Rolla Rolla High School
OHIO
Juliet Evans * Dayton Oakwood High School
Ryan Iafigliola Parma Padua Franciscan High School
Rachel Melson Dayton Colonel White High School
OKLAHOMA
Christa Evans Cherokee Cherokee Senior High School
Prem Gandhi Oklahoma City Putnam City High School
OREGON
Summer Mencher Portland Franklin High School
PENNSYLVANIA
Ari Astles Harrisburg Susquehanna Township High School
Kexin Bi Broomall Baldwin School
Nicole Zevola Pittsburgh Baldwin High School
PUERTO RICO
Yanira Rivera Patillas Cecilio Lebron Ramos
RHODE ISLAND
Wootae Min Greenville Bishop Hendricken High School
SOUTH CAROLINA
Kathryn Morris West Columbia Brookland-Cayce High School
Sherene Semsar Mount Pleasant Wando High School
SOUTH DAKOTA
Dawn Kruse Revillo Grant-Deuel High School
TENNESSEE
Blair Abelson Signal Mountain Baylor School
Erika Graves Brentwood Brentwood High School
Richard Lowe Manchester Coffee County Central High School
Dmitry Rashkeev Nashville University School of Nashville
TEXAS
Katie Allen Dallas Lake Highlands High School
Priti Dangayach Houston Bellaire Senior High School
Austin Kilaru Dallas St. Mark's School of Texas
Nicholas Short San Antonio Northside Health Careers High
School
John Varghese Hickory Creek Texas Academy of Math & Science
Allison Wade Dallas Highland Park High School
UTAH
Oliver Yeh * Sandy Skyline High School
VERMONT
Anna Telensky Jericho Mount Mansfield Union High School
VIRGINIA
Anna Light Roanoke Cave Spring High School
Mary Sorrentino Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox High School
WASHINGTON
Shirley Hu Sammamish Eastlake High School
Chris Klontz Sumner Auburn Riverside High School
WEST VIRGINIA
Cathleen Powell Glenville Gilmer County High School
WISCONSIN
Kevin Burleson Watertown Watertown High School
Caroline Camic Madison James Madison Memorial High
School
Devree Molnar West Allis Heritage Christian School
WYOMING
Eli Harris Green River Green River High School
* National winner - $20,000 scholarship
All others receive $10,000 scholarship
2003 TOYOTA COMMUNITY SCHOLARS
Community Service Snapshots
Following is a small sampling of community service projects performed by the 2003 class of Toyota Community Scholars (more detail can be provided upon request; student interviews can also be arranged):
* As president of the local Operation Smile club, responsible for raising
over $50,000 in money and donated medical services to treat children
with facial deformities in over 20 countries. (Oliver Yeh, Sandy, Utah)
* Founded Fun Air, which "improves" the airport experience for children --
especially during layovers. Raised nearly $18,000, plus organized a
volunteer group of nearly 100 people. Responsible for putting an actual
fuselage -- complete with wings, cockpit, control panel, playtime slides
and educational displays -- inside the Anchorage airport. Fun Air now
being considered at other U.S. airports. (Corey Rennell, Anchorage,
Alaska)
* Co-founded MAGIC, a group that provides social support to elderly,
disabled, underprivileged and school children. Raised over $40,000 for
numerous projects, including providing 600 prom dresses to young women
to wear to their dances; gathered over 56,000 pounds of food and raised
public awareness about hunger; extended MAGIC's reach to include helping
orphans in Asia. (Blair Hornstine, Moorestown, N.J.)
* Himself a cancer patient, founded Kids That Care Pediatric & Cancer
Fund. Goal is to improve the lives of children with cancer and other
life-threatening illnesses. Has volunteered thousands of hours and
raised over $100,000 in donations. (Ian Amber, Pinecrest, Fla.)
* Founded Citizens of the World to improve race relations at his school.
Created programs aimed at celebrating the cultural differences among
students, resulting in an improved school atmosphere. Also, created an
international book drive through Citizens of the World for children
overseas who can't afford books. (Kevin Koo, Nashua, N.H.)
* Created Salute our Veterans, a compilation of war stories as told by
American soldiers to this Scholar. She has compiled over 90 veterans'
stories and has received interest from a publishing company to print the
book. (Katie Crosbie, Lakeville, Minn.)
* Adopted herself, this Scholar founded Angels for Babies, which raises
funds and awareness for orphaned children from underprivileged
countries. (Nicole Zevola, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
* Founded Lollipops on Stewart Street for underprivileged children with
musical interests. Weeklong camp held at Boys and Girls Club results in
participants performing in front of over 500 people in the community.
(Juliet Evans, Dayton, Ohio)
* Developed program aimed at reading and recording books for visually
impaired children. In all, recorded over 90 books for these youngsters,
more than 50 of which this Scholar read and recorded herself. (Erin
Husbands, Marksville, La.)