2018 RESDC Scholarship Recipients

Scholarship recipients Riley Ellis and Dayna Pham, along with their family members, RESDC President John McTighe, and Scholarship Committee Chair Carlos Gonzalez, after the Board of Supervisors presentation on June 19, 2018.

This year’s RESDC scholarship recipients will soon be off to their college lives. Together with their parents, grandparents, and sponsors, we pause briefly on their exciting journey to recognize their accomplishments. Excerpts of their personal statements are presented here in alphabetical order.

Riley Ellis is sponsored by his great-grandmother, Pamela Mills. Riley graduated from Valhalla High School in El Cajon, CA, with a 4.538 GPA; ranked #15 in a class of 536. In his applicant statement, Riley quotes Emerson, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Reflecting on this quote, Riley says, “There are so many things that make me happy, but I definitely feel best when I am being useful, when I am letting people know I see them, when I am making a difference to help others to live life to their fullest. I truly consider myself a scholar for service.” In high school, Riley ran cross country and track; joined Link Crew; wrote for the school newspaper and started a debate club. He also dedicated time to “Key Club,” eventually becoming Vice President. From campus clean-ups to shoe drives, working at school carnivals, to creating floats for the Rose Parade, while in the Key Club Riley found inspiration and community with like-minded students. Riley is planning to attend Reed College, to study psychology and/or literature.

Sarina Jassy is sponsored by her mother, Sharon Jassy. Sarina graduated from Francis Parker School, in San Diego, CA, with a 4.52 GPA, in a class of 125 (no ranking published). Sarina has been dancing since she was three years old. Presently she trains, performs, and teaches approximately 25 hours a week. She won over 120 awards, scholarships, and titles for solo and team dances. She also won a prestigious award to the Joffrey Ballet School (two-week summer program) where she trained with other pre-professional dancers in San Francisco, CA. During her senior year, she was the Captain of the Varsity High School Dance Team, responsible for all the team’s logistics. More importantly, her goals for the team were to increase school spirit, facilitate camaraderie, promote cohesiveness, and provide a supportive and welcoming environment in which all dancers could learn and grow. Beyond her many accomplishments as the dance team Captain, Sarina was on the Math Team for four years. They won 75% of their competitions. This year she was the Math Team’s Vice President. Outside of the classroom Sarina is passionate for science and for helping people. Quoting one her counselors, “Sarina has always been intrigued by the medical field, attending camps to enrich herself further in the field. Over the past three years, she secured a dermatology internship and has initiated a community service project in her local neighborhood. She received a grant from a sunscreen company based in Australia and used the money to conduct in-class seminars at her former elementary school to students regarding proper sun protection.” Sarina says, “If one child uses sunscreen because of my presentations, then I am ecstatic to be making a difference. My goal is to reach as many students as possible.” Sarina has done extensive volunteer work; raising money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis, Juvenile Diabetes, The ASPCA, Rady Children’s Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Scripps Ranch Civic Association. She has stocked, prepared, and packaged food for military families and homeless people. She has also cleaned up the beaches and worked with the Hands-Up Food Pantry.

In addition to RESDC’s $2,000 scholarship award, Sarina has been selected to receive the $750 LaRue Pierce Community Service Award. This award was established in 2014, honoring the memory of LaRue Pierce, RESDC Director and Scholarship Committee Chair during the first 18 years of the RESDC Scholarship Program, and her spirit of community service.

Madeline McKinney is sponsored by her grandmother, Sharon McKinney. Madeline graduated from Skyview High School, in Vancouver, WA, with a 4.0 GPA; ranked #1 in a class of 460. In her applicant statement Madeline declared her love for pets, and a passion for an active life, ranging from swimming and competitive golfing, to a second degree belt in Tae Kwon Do, and snow skiing. Quoting from her statement, “The struggles of these recent years have showed me that I am a fierce friend and a strong academic with a passion for learning.” In high school, Madeline was committed to service groups which promoted personal growth for her and her peers through academics and sports. She was Captain of various sports teams and The Science, Math, Technology Magnet Program, which required 30 hours of volunteer work before graduation. One of the school counselors described Madeline as, “A leader, hard worker and focused student, and that not only does she work really hard in classes, but that she really helps raise the discourse in the classroom.” Madeline is planning to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering or Biochemistry.

Dayna Pham is sponsored by her father, Henry Pham. Dayna graduated from Otay Ranch High School, in Chula Vista, CA, with a 4.49 GPA; ranked #10 in a class of 651. In her applicant statement, Dayna says, “They say that nothing good comes from war, but the adversity of the Vietnam War, elicited an action of progress that would have lain dormant had the war not happened: my parents and grandparents immigrating to America. Their journey to a new world forced them to face much hardship. While keeping up with the demands of American life, they have not lost sight of their native culture. Vietnamese was my first language and my grandfather taught me the value of my culture at a young age, giving me lessons on how to read and write in my native tongue, and doing language exercises with me. Language was a way for us to connect and bond, breaking the generation gap of 75 years.” Her grandfather inspired Dayna to transfer from her underperforming high school to a proficient high school, under the No Child Left Behind Act, thus giving up her “status” as a potential Valedictorian for college readiness. In the end she learned that school is not only about achievement, it is about personal development. This realization made her grandfather very proud. Dayna’s grandfather suffered from macular degeneration, which lead to the loss of his right eye. She was very active in his care, which has inspired her to attend medical school, then enter an ophthalmology residency to learn how to do specialized work, in order to become an Ophthalmologist. Dayna’s AP English Lit & Comp teacher says, “As an educator for the past 34 years, I have had the privilege and joy of working with some unbelievably talented young people, yet Dayna’s off the charts accomplishments, academically and personally, have been achieved by very few.”

Austin Tarke is sponsored by his father, Henry Tarke. Austin graduated from Patrick Henry High School, in San Diego, CA, with a 3.97 GPA; ranked #156 in a class of 519. In his applicant statement, Austin wrote about his experiences at the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference in Ketchum, ID (considered one of the finest literary events in the country). For the past six years he worked at the conference (a week-long event) and had the opportunity to listen to some of the guest writers. Austin says, “In 2014, New York Congressman John Lewis spoke about his march with Martin Luther King Jr. Mr. Lewis told a fascinating story of his experiences with MLK, and the events that occurred while marching from Selma to Montgomery and fighting for human rights. He made me realize that there were so many people participating in these marches and every single one of them had an important impact on the world, it wasn’t just the big names that made a difference.” Austin continues, “Some authors such as David Brooks, NY Times Writer give more inspirational talks. David Brooks compared everyone’s life to three mountains. Each person has to climb mountains such as love life, keeping a stable job, and maintaining happiness in retirement. These are the three mountains that maintain your life. He mentioned many of us will fall from these mountains into the valleys, but emphasized that the key is to get back up and continue on with the next mountain always in sight.” Austin has applied to several universities with strong emphasis in communications, media and/or journalism. One of his references describes Austin as, “Quick to smile, quick to help, quick to be involved, quick to lead.”

Our deepest appreciation and credit for the Scholarship Program’s success goes to the Scholarship Committee, whose independent and confidential effort ensures the quality of unbiased results. We are most proud and grateful to have them as part of the RESDC team.

Theo and Evelyn Yakel 2018 Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to the seven recipients of the Theo and Evelyn Yakel Scholarships for 2018! Each student received a $1,500 award. The seven students are in alphabetical order:

• Sophie Burns, sponsored by Bernard Siekert.
• Maria Cook, sponsored by Nancy Watson Evans.
• Riley Ellis, sponsored by Pamela Mills.
• Keoni Fernandez, sponsored by Francisco Fernandez.
• Micah Fong, sponsored by Charles Pennell.
• Megan Griswold, sponsored by John Oldenkamp.
• Alexandria Middleton, sponsored by Florence Helms.

In 2001, RESDC member Theo Yakel and his wife, Evelyn, placed a $250,000 endowment with the San Diego Foundation for the purpose of awarding scholarships to children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of members of The Retired Employees of San Diego County. The interest from the endowment is used to fund the annual scholarships. Many thanks to Theo and Evelyn for their generous endowment to provide financial assistance to young people seeking higher education at a college or university.

The Yakel Scholarships are in addition to and complementary to the scholarships that RESDC awards. This is another opportunity for the families of RESDC members.

Congratulations and good luck to all of the 2018 Scholarship Recipients.