$36,500 Awarded in Scholarship Money

Valley students were awarded $36,500 in scholarships from three philanthropic organizations this week to continue their education.

The awards were given primarily to help high school students make the transition to college, but 16 recipients were fourth-graders in Valley Catholic schools.

Six high school seniors received $1,500 each from the Asian American Educators Assn. to use at various universities.

The honored students were Sandy Yang of Cleveland High School in Reseda; Angela Chang, Granada Hills High; Esther Yun, Taft High; Soo-Jean Chi and Mary Ann Park, North Hollywood High; and Rosalyn Wong Sayaman, Polytechnic High in Sun Valley.

Valley University Women used funds they raised this year to award 13 scholarships of $1,500 to graduating seniors and community college transfer students.

The honorees were Julia Chu, Granada Hills High; Michael Umpierre, Burroughs High in Burbank; Thao Nguyen and Keenan Jackson, Pierce College; Christine Tran, Cleveland Magnet; Trina Henry, Monroe High in North Hills; Robert Schmerling, North Hollywood Magnet; Rosa Maria Castro, San Fernando Magnet; Annmarie Nguyen and Robyn Eisenman, Chatsworth High; Edwin Choi, North Hollywood High; Achi Yaffe, Granada Hills High; and twins Gina Eun-Young Kim and Mi Young Kim, of Chatsworth H.S., who will share a scholarship.

Sixteen Valley fourth-graders were among those awarded $500 each from the William H. Hannon Foundation to continue their Catholic school education.

They were Aaron Bransky and Joseph Alvarado, Our Lady of Grace School in Encino; Xochitl Valdivia and Erica Arroyo, Santa Rosa School in San Fernando; Michael Rudolph and Christina Catania, St. Bernardine of Siena School in Woodland Hills; Brianna Millard and Ashley Hanley, St. Catherine of Siena School in Reseda; Joshua Cruz and Lauren McCabe, St. Didacus School in Sylmar; Irene Figueroa and Ignacio Cordero Jr., St. Ferdinand School in San Fernando; Rachel Bautista and Valerie Marek, St. Genevieve School in Panorama City, and Kathleen Maria C. O’Halloran and Fernando Uribe, St. Jude the Apostle School in Westlake Village.

In addition to the individual scholarships, the foundation will award $1,000 gifts to each school to buy computer equipment or to supplement scholarship programs.