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For
Immediate Release
Contact: Jody Meacham, 408 / 288-2934, jody@sjsa.org
SAN JOSE (April 17, 2006) – Five Santa Clara County high school seniors will be announced as winners of the San Jose Sports Authority’s 2006 REACH Youth Scholarships at an awards breakfast Wednesday, May 3 at the San Jose Marriott.
The breakfast honors 34 students nominated by their schools for the REACH program, which stands for Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard Work. The scholarship winners will be determined by an essay competition, in which the nominees explained how their participation in high school sports helped them overcome adversity to excel in sports and academics. The difficulties faced by these young people included poverty, abuse, social and language problems faced by immigrants, physical disabilities and disease.
A total of $9,000 in scholarships will be awarded at the breakfast, chaired by former San Francisco 49er Ronnie Lott, and one nominee will also win two tickets on any published Southwest Airlines operated, scheduled service.
This is the 10th year for the REACH Youth Scholarship Program, sponsored by Bridge Bank, and it brings to 55 the number of scholarship winners. Supporting sponsors of the event include Hewlett-Packard, San Jose Marriott, San Jose Sharks, National Tennis Championships, Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area and Southwest Airlines.
The REACH Youth Scholarship Program is one of the ways the San Jose Sports Authority supports youth and amateur sports in our community. Visit our website at www.sjsa.org. For more information on nominees, contact Stacy Wong at (408) 288-2936
REACH Youth Scholarship Nominees
Bellarmine College Prep
Nick Aurelio, baseball. Helped start nonprofit foundation that has raised more than $1 million to fight neurological disease that claimed the life of his younger sister, who attended his games in wheelchair.
Timothy Danser, football. Volunteered 200 hours in community service working with young athletes while dealing with mother’s cancer, father’s loss of job.
Fremont High School
Laine Armour, water polo. Came back from crippling injuries suffered in automobile accident that doctors said would end her high school athletic career to play varsity water polo.
Brittany Baza, athletic trainer. Pacemaker prevented playing sports, but overcame family deaths to work as schools only student trainer.
Joseph Maes, football, track and field.*
Filip Novachkov, wrestling.*
Gilroy High School
Esperanza Sanchez, soccer. Teen mother has worked as volunteer in after-school tutoring programs for young children.
Gunderson High School
Ahmed Abdi, basketball. Emigrated from Somalia because of civil war but overcame language and cultural obstacles to make honor roll, all-league in basketball and tutor children at Somalian Muslim Center.
Eric Espinoza, soccer. Didn’t speak English when he emigrated from Mexico but became all-league soccer player and won award for academic excellence while volunteering for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Maria Luisa Flores, softball. Though she became a mother her freshman year, she has volunteered more than 100 hours of community service, made the honor roll and continued with her sports.
Jorge Mendoza, football. Earned college football scholarship and made honor roll despite being an immigrant.
Venese Morgan, basketball and volleyball.*
Harker School
Amanda Polzin, volleyball and basketball. Born with deformities of both her hands but overcame prejudice of coaches and friends to volunteer at Special Olympics and work on school newspaper.
Independence High School
Carolyn Finney, volleyball, basketball and softball. Has been family mediator since divorce of parents and deals with potentially debilitating medical condition but has won several academic awards.
Leland High School
Margo Consul, volleyball. Overcame limitations imposed by wearing a heart pacemaker to be named most inspirational player and volunteer at summer camp.
Lincoln High School
Jose Ramirez, football and track and field.*
Live Oak High School
Justin Martin, football and track and field. Heart transplant knocked him out of senior football season and six months after surgery is competing in discus.
Monta Vista High School
Tyler Fischer-Colbrie, swimming and water polo. Self-injects insulin because of diabetes but has made all-league teams while participating in juvenile diabetes research as a volunteer.
Katherine Near, swimming and water polo. Shy and never an athlete before her freshman year, she won athletic awards in both sports as well as doing extensive volunteer work and earning academic honors.
Minh Nguyen, badminton. Overcame cultural barriers as Vietnamese immigrant to achieve multiple academic honors. Volunteers with church, historical society and political campaigns.
Matthew Yu, badminton. Came to the sport as a non-athlete but high achiever academically and struggled to improve in tournaments. Named team captain his senior season.
Overfelt High School
Priscilla Arzate, swimming. Youngest of nine children made decision to live with sister in the United States rather than with her mother in Mexico. In addition to volunteering with homeless, works to help sister pay rent.
Juan Castillo, soccer. Lives in single-parent family and was named school’s junior athlete of the year in football.
Julio Gomez, wrestling. Lives in single-parent family but was named most outstanding wrestler, works as volunteer in Stanford Medical Youth Science Program.
Kao Saetern, badminton and football. Overcame domestic problems and gangs and was twice league badminton doubles champion and named most improved and inspirational player.
Palo Alto High School
Brianna Clay, basketball. Lives in dangerous neighborhood and tore ACL in her first high school game, but volunteers at youth basketball camps and was named to all-league team.
Kheaton Scott, basketball. Family has moved repeatedly and is short for his sport, but has won athletic awards while volunteering at youth basketball camps.
Presentation High School
Jenna Brogan, volleyball. Played her sport at club level despite large abdominal tumor. She finally made her school varsity team as a senior while volunteering as a coach and middle school referee.
St. Francis High School
Sioeli Fakalata, football. Worked his way off academic and athletic probation to win college football scholarship while volunteering at homeless shelter.
Nikhil Marathe, football and tennis. Sat with his mother as she died his sophomore year but was an all-league tennis player and volunteers through City of Santa Clara Youth Commission.
Sela Paini, basketball and track and field.*
Santa Teresa High School
Britteny Westphal, softball. Held hostage during home invasion robbery, but is team captain and volunteers through Girl Scouts.
Westmont High School
Nick Twitchell, basketball. Family separations and moves were obstacles but he was an all-league athlete and honor roll scholar.
Willow Glen High School
Maria Sosa, cross-country and track and field. Father was murdered before emigrating from Mexico, overcame language problem to win academic honors and volunteer in community service.
* -- Complete biographical information withheld pending completion of publicity release.
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