Community Foundation Awards 63 Scholarships
Last Updated Apr 2010
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is pleased to award 63 scholarships to Southern Arizona high school seniors and college students for academic year 2009-2010. Students were notified amidst news of increased fees and tuition hikes at state universities. Among the 63 recipients were:
• Samantha Tater, 18 years old, Catalina Magnet High School: first in family to attend college; father just laid off from job; owns her own business.
• Okongo Majok, Catalina Magnet High School: one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Scholarships are made possible through scholarship funds held at the Community Foundation, many of which were established to memorialize a loved one. Four corporate scholarships are also available. The majority of the scholarships are for accredited Arizona colleges, universities or business/vocational schools – keeping Southern Arizona’s best here in our home state. Scholarship amounts vary based on scholarship awarded. The Community Foundation received 118 applications this year, which is more than in the past two years.
“I was literally $2,000 short of being able to afford to go to UA this fall. Then I found out that I got a Community Foundation scholarship,” says Samantha Tater, a senior at Catalina Magnet High School. Tater’s dad was laid off last year, and her mom is battling a chronic illness. “When I read the letter out loud, my dad was jumping up and down. It was pretty cool.” Tater will be the first in her family to graduate from college. She dreams of being a neurosurgeon.
“We were really impressed with the quality of the students this year,” says Manny Leon, chair of the scholarship committee. “We don’t look for the students with the best grades. Instead, we want to support the students who have the confidence and show the drive to succeed.”
Established in 1980 and certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s mission is to work with charitably minded individuals and organizations to strengthen Southern Arizona communities, now and for generations to come. For more information: 520.770.0800 or www.cfsoaz.org. Download a PDF version of this release.