2017 RESDC Scholarship Recipients
Scholarship recipients Jessica Rinder and Gabriella Gjata, along with their family members and RESDC Executive Director Mark Nanzer and Scholarship Committee Chair Carlos Gonzalez, after the Board of Supervisors presentation on June 20, 2017.
This year’s RESDC scholarship recipients will soon be off to their college lives. Similar to previous years, together with their parents, grandparents, and sponsors, we pause briefly on their exciting journey to recognize their achievement. Excerpts of their personal statements are presented in alphabetical order.
Alex Bluestein; sponsored by his grandmother, Charlotte Bluestein. Alex graduated from D.C. Everest Senior High School, Weston, Wisconsin, with a 3.99 GPA; ranked 8 of 332. In his applicant’s statement Alex says, “Transforming and improving the world around me has always been incredibly rewarding, whether writing computer code to investigate a disease process, tutoring a classmate, or assisting disabled members of my congregation with transportation needs so that they can actively participate in community events.” Volunteer service is an integral part of his sense of well-being and he receives tremendous satisfaction from his involvement in these activities. Alex believes that mathematics is the fundamental language of all sciences. Math is also the language of his dreams, hopes, and aspirations. He has pursued college coursework during the past two summers attending Washington University in St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon University.
Gabriella (Gabi) Gjata; sponsored by her mother, Paola Wilckens-Gjata. Gabi graduated from San Dieguito High School Academy, Encinitas, California, with a 4.25 GPA. In her applicant’s statement Gabi says she was raised with a unique cultural background and perspective. Her heritage includes Albania, Chile, Italy, Germany, and Spain. She has developed a love for languages. She also loves theater, playing sports, traveling, babysitting, swimming, being a Junior Lifeguard Aide, movies, and baking. Gabi is a very active volunteer in her community with over 600 hours of community service during her four years of high school. She has been most passionate about volunteering for her elementary school as a bilingual teacher assistant. She would like to pursue a career in Spanish and Education. Her goal is to become a bilingual elementary school teacher in a Dual Language Immersion Program in California.
Taryn Murphy; sponsored by her grandmother, Cathleen Murphy. Taryn graduated from Veritas Scholars Academy, Temecula, California, with a 5.0 GPA. In her applicant’s statement, Taryn says her goal is to attend either Columbia University or Hillsdale College to study journalism and political science. Afterwards she hopes to pursue a law degree at Harvard Law School. She’s inspired to break down both the physical and mental walls that imprison so many helpless victims of human trafficking here in the United States. Last year she began an internship with Valley News where she wrote human interest stories about people in her community as well as stories about the growing epidemic of human trafficking. Taryn founded a charity, Journals for the Journey. She collected donations from local businesses and provided safe-houses across America with journals which are now being used in therapy sessions for residents of all ages.
Jessica Rinder; sponsored by her grandfather, Lewis Zollinger. Jessica graduated from West Hills High School, Santee, California, with a 4.3 GPA, ranked 29 of 455. In her applicant’s statement she says, “Growing up, I loved to play soccer. My ability to make quick decisions and adapt grew as I began playing more competitively.” She played until a severe knee injury and surgery ended her soccer career. Jessica became a student ambassador for CTE Sports Medicine Pathway, provided mentorship to new 9th grade students, participated in the Best Buddies Club and earned the prestigious Alpha-Plus award on three different occasions. She also volunteered in medical clinics when she traveled to Guatemala with Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Jessica attended the Rady Children’s Summer Medical Academy which exposed her to different careers within healthcare. This past semester, Jessica organized a distinguished Health Advisory Panel Night for students from within the three Sports Medicine Pathways schools in the Grossmont Union High School District. Jessica facilitated the entire evening; she was composed, prepared, and highly engaging as over 60 students participated in the evening with six active professionals. Jessica’s goal is to become a registered nurse and has applied at several nursing schools.
Katie Wayland; sponsored by her grandfather, Raymond R. Harvey. Katie graduated from Oakdale High School, Oakdale, California, with a 3.63 GPA, ranked 56 of 350. In her applicant’s statement she says that she was cyber-bullied by many of her classmates. She chose to switch schools and focus on things important to her. Talking with her Vice Principal, who was also bullied as a teenager, helped her realize that bullies are human beings too; she empathized with them. Katie has been a member of the Girl Scouts her whole life. For the past three summers, she has participated in Junior Lifeguards at Pismo Beach. Katie’s character, compassion and community service achievements are clearly described in a letter of reference from her Girl Scout Leader, troop 3427: “Into middle school, Katie helped create an education program about electronic etiquette. In high school, she earned the Silver Award; with a fellow scout, she created “Cinderella’s Closet,” where they collected dresses for middle school girls who may not be able to afford a new dress. This type of project existed in high school, but nothing like it for younger girls in their community. They donated the dresses to a local group foster home that helps teens in transition. Katie has continued her commitment to Girl Scouts and is in the process of completing her Gold Award project. The Gold Award is the highest award earned with the Girl Scouts. Building on her interest in water sports, Katie created a community education project about the ocean. Katie has spoken to the city council, given presentations to peers about “texting and driving” and worked with the city’s mayor. Katie is driven, poised and truly cares about others in her community. Katie is our choice as the recipient of RESDC’s $750 “LaRue Pierce Community Service Award.” This award was established in 2014, honoring LaRue Pierce, RESDC Director and Scholarship Committee Chair during the first 18 years of the Scholarship Program, and her spirit of community service.
Our deepest gratitude to the 2017 Scholarship Committee for their hard work and dedication to making this year’s Scholarship Program successful. We are honored to have them as part of the RESDC team and we look forward to working with them again in 2018.
Theo and Evelyn Yakel 2017 Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to the six recipients of the Theo and Evelyn Yakel Scholarships for 2017! Each recipient received an award of $1,500. The six students are in alphabetical order:
- Alexis Alvillar, sponsored by Evon L Harris
- Gabriella Gjata, sponsored by Paola Wilckens-Gjata
- Sarah Godden, sponsored by Leona Godden
- Carson Kreager, sponsored by Dianne Murphey
- Taryn Murphy, sponsored by Cathleen Murphy
- Tucker Ward, sponsored by Paul Swafford
Congratulations and good luck to you all!