Press Releases
Silicon Valley REALTORS® Award Scholarships to 18 High School Seniors
- For Immediate Release -
The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), awarded $1,500 scholarships to 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in Silicon Valley at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. The scholarships are made possible by donations from members of SILVAR 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, and SILVAR. Now on its 22nd year, the program has awarded $409,500 in scholarships to graduating seniors in communities served by SILVAR members.
"We are happy that for 22 years our members have been able to assist our youth in beginning their college careers," said Nina Yamaguchi, Scholars Program chair. "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 and the tenacity they have exhibited in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Students who received scholarships, the schools from which they graduated, and the colleges/universities they plan to attend are:
Elise Oswald, Cupertino High School, San Jose State University
Anne Hu, Fremont High School, Tufts University
Hanamae de Guzman, Gunn High School, San Francisco State University
Calix Tang, Homestead High School, Georgia Institute of Technology
Alex Ojeda, Leigh High School, Lafayette College
Olivia Colace, Los Altos High School, Bryn Mawr College
Jaewon Lee, Los Gatos High School, UC Berkeley
Alvin Cheng, Lynbrook High School, UC San Diego
Ally Chu, Menlo-Atherton High School, UC Santa Barbara
Elijah Diaz, Monta Vista High School, University of Chicago
Ethan Huang, Mountain View High School, UC Berkeley
Alex Selwyn, Palo Alto High School (Stanford University)
Meenakshi Mittal, Prospect High School, UC Berkeley
Michelle Malagon-Cazarin, Santa Clara High School, San Jose State University
Henry Jin Weng, Saratoga High School, Stanford University
Meriem Cherif, Westmont High School, UC Berkeley
Selin Musa, Wilcox High School, UC Berkeley
Gloria Riva, Woodside High School, San Jose State University
"Our scholarship program is a way REALTORS® are able to give back to our communities. It is truly a partnership effort between the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation and the wonderful educators in our service area. We thank them especially for their dedication during the last 15 months, where they have had to teach and guide their students under challenging conditions," said Charitable Foundation president Eileen Giorgi.
This year, some schools chose to conduct senior awards night live with a high degree of social distancing, while others had presenters videotape their presentations. Other schools confined the event to their student population. Silicon Valley REALTORS® who presented the scholarship awards to the recipients live or on video were SILVAR President Joanne Fraser (Compass), Russell Morris (Coldwell Banker), and Jasmine Lee (Coldwell Banker).
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.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.