Real Estate Articles
Silicon Valley Realtors award scholarships to 18 high school seniors
The Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, has awarded $1,000 scholarships to each of 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in Silicon Valley for the 2017-2018 school year. The scholarships are made possible by donations from members of the local trade association who are engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
The Realtor scholars program recognizes students for their outstanding achievements in academics, extracurricular activities and community involvement. The selection committee includes representatives from the local business community, area high schools, area colleges and SILVAR. Now in its 19th year, the program has awarded $342,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors in communities served by the Realtor group's members.
Students who received scholarships, the schools from which they graduated, and the colleges and universities they plan to attend are Kelsey Bohannon, Cupertino High School (Northeastern University); Li Qing Loo, Fremont High School (Tufts University); Emma Chiao, Gunn High School (Swarthmore College); Emily Korn, Homestead High School (Willamette University); Annacy Sampas, Leigh High School (Santa Clara University); Jodie Bhattacharya, Los Altos High School (Stanford University); Shomil Jain, Los Gatos High School (UC Berkeley); Anastasiya Poplavska, Lynbrook High School (Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo); Joseph Lohmann, Menlo-Atherton High School (University of Pennsylvania); Sydney Olay, Monta Vista High School (Cal Poly - Pomona); Cathy Xuan Zhang, Mountain View High School (Stanford University); Naima Castaneda Isaac, Palo Alto High School (Spelman College); Aditi Garg, Prospect High School (Scripps College); Kelly Koh, Santa Clara High School (USC); Dean Stratakos, Saratoga High School (Stanford University); Karissa Yau, Westmont High School (Stanford University); Michelle Mathew, Wilcox High School (UC Berkeley); and Alexander Caceres, Woodside High School (Oberlin College).
"The seniors selected this year are very deserving of recognition not only because of their academic accomplishments, but also for their contributions to their communities," said Nina Yamaguchi, scholars program chair. "We are happy that for 19 years our members have been able to assist our youth in beginning their college careers."
Members of the Realtor group presenting the scholarship awards to the recipients during their school's senior awards night are Chris Alston (Keller Williams Realty), Alan Barbic (Sereno Group), Mark Burns (Referral Realty), Nina Daruwalla (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Carole Feldstein (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Jasmine Lee (Intero Real Estate Services), Theresa Loya (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Bill Moody (Referral Realty), Russell Morris (Coldwell Banker), Ranjana Shreedhar (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Theresa Souvignier (Keller Williams Realty), Amy Sung (Pacific Union International Realty), Mary Tan (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), David Tonna (Alain Pinel Realtors) and Suzanne Yost (Alain Pinel Realtors).
"Our scholarship program is a way Realtors are able to give back to our communities. The scholars program is truly a partnership effort between the Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation and the wonderful educators in our service area," said Charitable Foundation president Eileen Giorgi.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.