Toyota Awards $1.12 Million in Scholarships to 100 Students
7 May 1999
Toyota Awards $1.12 Million in Scholarships to 100 Students; High School Seniors Top Their Class in Academics and Community Service
LEXINGTON, Ky., May 7 -- One hundred reasons to feel good
about the youth of America.
In a nutshell, that's the best way to describe the 100 high school seniors
who have been named 1999 Toyota Community Scholars. The Scholars program, now
in its third year, recognizes the best of the best: those students who not
only have accomplished outstanding academic achievements, but, also, have
shown tremendous dedication to community service.
The winners -- who were selected from a pool of 13,000 applicants
nominated by their schools -- were awarded $1.12 million in college
scholarships today by Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. (TMS). 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 1999.
"These students are reflections of everything that is good about this
country," said Yale Gieszl, executive vice president of TMS. "They have
stepped up and put themselves in a position of leadership. And, they have
learned at a young age that the most important aspect of education is 'sharing
your knowledge'."
Following is a sampling of those leadership traits, as well as
community-service involvement performed by the Class of '99:
-- Started a Soup Kitchen, not only serving meals to hundreds of homeless
people on a weekly basis, but, also, organizing the pick-up and
delivery of donated food.
-- Spent past three summer vacations in Nicaragua and Honduras, helping to
build a school, churches, as well as a "feeding" station aimed at
providing food for needy children.
-- Created a program that linked hearing high school students with deaf
children. Students acted as role models, friends, as well as helped
the deaf children bridge the "mainstream" gap
-- Raised guide dogs from puppies, donated to blind organization.
-- Started school club as freshman that eventually was credited with
overseeing the renovation of four homes for elderly, disabled. Turned
vacant lot into children's playground.
-- Organized food drive that grew to include 12,000 student volunteers who
gathered over 16,000 pounds of food.
-- Developed project that translated books from English to Spanish, then
transcribed them into Braille.
-- Raised nearly $20,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation; motivated
by Mother's fight with the disease.
-- Designed, constructed "self-guiding" nature trail.
-- Speaks to young children, peers about teen health, i.e., HIV/AIDS,
pregnancy prevention and abstinence. Student's quote: "Education is
the only AIDS vaccine."
-- Through numerous speaking engagements from Chicago to Africa, delivers
inspirational message to youngsters that centers around the importance
of school, hard work, self-pride, self-esteem and remaining drug-free,
gang-free. At the age of 12, he was the youngest speaker at the 1995
"Million Man March," gaining national recognition for delivering his
"Appeal to Father" speech.
-- Blind herself since the age of 12, student is top in her class of 650
academically, given over 400 hours of community service and is an
award-winning equestrian rider. Very active in program that assists in
rehabilitation of young blind children.
The Toyota Community Scholars program is managed 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 today at an awards banquet in
Lexington that was attended by education, community, business and government
leaders. Former First Lady Barbara Bush was the featured speaker.
While in Kentucky, the students toured Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
in Georgetown, which builds the Toyota Camry and Avalon sedans and the Sienna
minivan. In addition, the Scholars attended a reception and barbecue at the
Kentucky Horse Park and a time management seminar.
Note: A list of Toyota Community Scholars is below.
1999 TOYOTA SCHOLARS
CITY HIGH SCHOOL
ALABAMA
Maria Huff Birmingham Alabama School of Fine Arts
Laura Robinson Spanish Fort Daphne High School
ALASKA
Ryan Derry Homer Homer High School
ARIZONA
Lori Miller Chandler Chandler High School
Lilach Shafir Phoenix Sunnyslope
ARKANSAS
Charles Alexander ** Cove Van-Cove High School
CALIFORNIA
Marcel Anderson Los Angeles Brentwood School
Annie Chau Foster City San Mateo High School
Rachelle Gould ** Camarillo Rio Mesa High School
Rachel Hansen Modesto Thomas Downey High School
Kimberly Noble ** Berkeley Berkeley High School
Soojin Oh Winnetka Cleveland Humanities High School
Stephanie Parker San Diego University City High School
COLORADO
Katrina Kosec ** Fort Collins Poudre High School
Joshua Vandiver Swink Swink High School
CONNECTICUT
Joshua Funt Stamford Stamford High School
DELAWARE
Yuh Tseng Wilmington Brandywine High School
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Alexandria Carroll Washington, D.C. Benjamin Bannaker Academic High
FLORIDA
Jennifer Csik North Miami Beach North Miami Beach Senior H.S.
Dairon Garcia Miami Barbara Goleman Senior H.S.
Randall Kessler Boca Raton Spanish River Community H.S.
Kathleen Mullins Milton Santa Rosa Christian Academy
Sarah Swords ** Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglass H.S.
Daniel Weinberg Miami Beach Miami Beach Senior High
GEORGIA
Rebecca Hinson Blakely Early County High
Ebony Martin Atlanta Booker T. Washington
HAWAII
Serina Diniega Pearl City Pearl City High School
IDAHO
Kelley Healey Coeur d'Alene Lake City High School
ILLINOIS
Jose Bello Chicago William H. Taft
Ayinde Jean-Baptiste ** Evanston Roycemore School
Kimberly Meyer Lake Villa Carmel High School
INDIANA
Tia Milanese South Bend Marian High School
Melanie Wood Indianapolis Park Tudor School
IOWA
Galen Miller Blairstown Benton Community High School
KANSAS
Brad Weinberg Overland Park Shawnee Mission East
Michelle Winter Columbus Columbus Unified High School
KENTUCKY
Randall Ewing, Jr. Louisville Saint Xavier High School
Jessica Moore ** Louisville Sacred Heart Academy
LOUISIANA
James Warrenfeltz Mandeville Fontainebleau High
MAINE
Hannah Curtis Belfast Belfast Area High School
MARYLAND
Solmaz Pirzadeh Silver Spring Springbrook
Jeffrey Scherr ** Baltimore Pikesville High School
MASSACHUSETTS
Sarah Penniman Ashburnham Oakmont Reg. High School
Erin Sullivan ** Worcester St. Peter-Marian C.C.
MICHIGAN
Nikia Byers Benton Harbor Benton Harbor High School
MINNESOTA
Melissa Draper Chanahassen Chaska High School
Rebecca Jarvis Minneapolis St. Paul Academy
MISSISSIPPI
Mary Coleman Columbus Heritage Academy
Derrick Donald Lake Lake High School
MISSOURI
Holli Coleman Perry Mark Twain High School
Brian Elliot ** Chesterfield Parkway Central High School
Michael Rozier Sainte Genevieve Valle Catholic High
Shelby Wolff Maryland Heights Pattonville
MONTANA
Andrea Schatzka Havre Havre High School
NEBRASKA
Jodi Harper Grand Island Grand Island Northwest
Adrienne James Lincoln Lincoln East High School
NEVADA
Sierra Scott Carson City Carson High School
NEW JERSEY
Adam Hornstine ** Moorestown Moorestown High School
Christopher McLeester Haddon Heights Haddon Heights High School
NEW YORK
Stephanie Coon Endicott Union Endicott High School
Nieraj Jain Pittsford Pittsford Sutherland High School
Ravi Kavasery Coram Longwood High School
Nina Langsam New Rochelle New Rochelle High School
Sujean Lee Staten Island Stuyvesant High School
Kerrilynn Piznak Staten Island Tottenville High School
Lisa Schwartz East Hills Roslyn High School
NORTH CAROLINA
Kia Scott Concord Concord High School
NORTH DAKOTA
Amanda Riehl Dickinson Armand Hammer UWC
OHIO
Sakary Cheap Columbus Briggs High School
Peter Mosher Cincinnati St. Xavier High School
William Schrader Westlake St. Ignatius
Bryn Tschannen-Moran Bexley Bexley High School
OKLAHOMA
Dev Ghose Tulsa Union High School
Molly Stone Oklahoma City Putnam City High School
OREGON
Marshall Clement Eugene South Eugene High School
Kelsey Hertig Warrenton Seaside High School
PENNSYLVANIA
Anthony Canale Indiana Indiana Area Senior High School
Melissa Mazur Norristown Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic H.S.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Alison Epting Charleston Bishop England High School
Eric Oliver Ninety Six Ninety Six High School
SOUTH DAKOTA
Jacqueline Pogue Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School
TENNESSEE
Daniel Cohen Knoxville West High School
Richard Johnson Sevierville Sevier County High
TEXAS
Daphne Brashear Magnolia Magnolia High School
Jennie Do Houston Alief Elsik High School
Mary Ellen Hammond The Woodlands The Woodlands High School
Ellen McCullough Dallas The Hockaday School
Lara Pringle Waco Vanguard
Lance Schielack Rockdale Rockdale High School
Stacey Tsai Sugar Land William P. Clements High School
UTAH
Havila Unrein St. George Dixie High School
VERMONT
Alicia Meyer Shaftsbury Mt. Anthony Union High School
VIRGINIA
Elizabeth Brantley Franklin Franklin High School
Katherine Hill Blacksburg Blacksburg High School
Nancy Redd Martinsville Laurel Park High School
WASHINGTON
Julianna Rigg ** Colville Colville High School
WEST VIRGINIA
Conor Knighton Charleston George Washington High School
Misha Phillips Elkins Elkins High School
WISCONSIN
Karolanne Hoffman Stoddard Aquinas High School
WYOMING
Rebecca McIntyre Buffalo Buffalo High School
**National Winner - $20,000 scholarship
All others receive $10,000 scholarship