Assistance League of Newport-Mesa has a strong tradition of providing scholarships to deserving high school students who are about to graduate and continue on to college.
The first college scholarship was awarded in 1945; seven decades later the tradition continues.
Thirteen students from Newport-Mesa High Schools were recently selected to each receive a $2,000 scholarship for their higher education pursuits.
Scholarships were awarded on a combination of personal need, activities in school and the community, as well as grade point average.
Assistance League honored this year’s scholarship recipients with an awards luncheon last weekend, during which scholarships were presented to the following Newport-Mesa students:
· Nathalie Acevedo, Estancia High School
· Spencer Ewertz, Back Bay/MonteVista High School
· Liliana Garcia, Estancia High School
· Estefani Gomez, Newport Harbor High School
· Reyna Gonzales, Newport Harbor High School
· Kimberly Hernandez, Estancia High School
· Michelle Herrera, Estancia High School
· Carolina Jackson, Corona del Mar High School
· Amber King, Back Bay/MonteVista High School
· Serra Quick, Costa Mesa High School
· Lizandra Ruiz, Costa Mesa High School
· Becca Standt, Newport Harbor High School
· Xally Varela, Costa Mesa High School
After receiving their scholarships, honorary guest speaker for the event, David A. Grant, Trustee, Coast Community College District, President Emeritus, Orange Coast College and 1958 recipient of the ALNM Scholarship, gave an inspirational speech about what the students can expect as they move forward in their academic careers, and in life.
“Nobody can say how his or her life is going to unfold,” Grant told the students. “So much depends on your education, who you meet and the influences that brings, which will change the direction of your life. It’s an exciting thing, not an intimidating thing.”
Grant noted that in the real estate business, the mantra is “Location, location, location.” However, said Grant, “In life the three words are ‘persistence, persistence, persistence.’ If you don’t try wholeheartedly for what you want, you’ll kick yourself for the rest of your life.”
He also offered a list of the characteristics who are successful in life, and in business: “Almost always thoughtful, interested in others, considerate, respectful, well prepared, on time, work hard, enthusiastic, a sense of humor. People who try every day to be the best that a human can be, who try every day to do a surprise good deed.”
Grant left the students with a quote from the book “Wind in the Willows.”
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, began in 1940 in Newport Beach with a small group of women wanting to make a difference in the lives of children. Today, they are the third largest chapter in the national Assistance League organization. The Newport-Mesa chapter of dedicated volunteers give over 24,000 hours of service each year to keep the programs operational. The programs helped over 6,000 children in the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach communities just in the last year.
For more information, visit alnm.org.
