THE BERKELEY COMMUNITY FUND AWARDS A RECORD 20 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TO BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
BERKELEY, CA, JUNE 6, 2013 – The Berkeley Community Fund (BCF) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2013 High Hopes Scholarships. An awards ceremony honoring the 20 Scholars will be held on June 10, 2013 at the Berkeley City Club. This is the largest group of scholars ever supported by BCF, which started the High Hopes Scholarship program in 2008 with 10 scholars.
Most of the scholars plan to stay in California to attend University of California and California State schools, while some will travel as far as Boston and New York. BCF will support the students financially with an award of $16,000 paid over 4 years. In addition, BCF will also match students with a mentor to help the scholars fulfill their educational aspirations by providing counseling and support throughout their college experience. Since the beginning of the High Hopes Scholarship program, BCF has supported 92 Berkeley High School seniors and awarded over $1.4 million in scholarships.
The 2013 High Hopes Scholars are:
Aisha Eisenberg
Anais Azul Arias-Aragon
Daniel Hernandez-Tijero
Elizabeth Cho
Evan Ho
Jalena Keane-Lee
Jeannel Poyaoan
Lychou Phey
Meriem Osman
Miguel Guiza
Mohammed Aledlah
Negar Esfandiari
Paola Alonso Franco
Semhall Gessesse
Sienghuy Hort
Tenzin Dechen
Van Tran
Willie Scott
Yenenesh Belachew
Yoseline Escalante-Buendia
BCF congratulates all our new scholars and thanks all students who applied for their interest and their commitment to higher education.
All Berkeley public high school graduating seniors with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater who are attending a 4-year college or university are eligible to apply for a High Hopes Scholarship. BCF also considers leadership, resiliency, and financial need. Finalists are interviewed by BCF’s Scholarship Committee and dedicated volunteers who participate in the interview process. Visit the BCF web site at www.berkfund.org or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/berkfund if you would like to learn more about BCF and its programs or make a donation to support future High Hopes Scholars.
About BCF
The Berkeley Community Fund is a charitable nonprofit organization established in 1991 by a group whose love for Berkeley and for a community of hope and equity inspired them to set up a fund to reflect their goals. Since 2007, it has focused on providing opportunities to promising public high school students in Berkeley college scholarships and mentoring support. It envisions a future when all the young people of our community succeed in fulfilling their aspirations, developing their full potential, and sharing positive, enriched lives with the world.
