Los Alamos High School senior Alayna Rodriguez is the recipient of the four-year, $5,000-a-year platinum scholarship from the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund. The fund is administered through the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation.
In addition, Dylan Allegretti of Santa Fe Preparatory School, Jose Castellano of Pojoaque High School, Antonia Clifford of St. Michael’s High School and Trevor Martin of Taos High School will receive four-year $2,500-a-year gold scholarships.
Fifty-four high school seniors and college students are receiving 2006 Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund scholarships at an award ceremony luncheon April 30 in the Lumpkins Ballroom at La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe.
The Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund encourages Laboratory employees, retirees and subcontract personnel to donate to a fund that awards college scholarships to Northern New Mexico area students. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of grade point average, test scores, diversity, need, academic rigor, leadership and community involvement.
Seven different levels of scholarships are awarded, including platinum, gold, silver, bronze, turquoise, Hewlett Packard and Leadership scholarships.
Eight students will receive four-year $1,500 silver scholarships, 10 students will receive four-year $1,000 bronze scholarships and seven students will receive one-year $2,000 Hewlett Packard scholarships. Hewlett Packard donated $14,000 toward Los Alamos Employees’ scholarships. In addition, 20 students received a one-year renewable $1,000 turquoise scholarship.
Again this year, the University of California is awarding four UC Nonresident Tuition Waiver scholarships. These renewable four-year scholarships give Northern New Mexico students who wouldn’t qualify for UC in-state tuition through a different program, financial assistance to attend a UC campus at or closer to the in-state tuition rate, explained Tony Fox of the nonprofit Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation. Priority is given to students from low-income families who are first generation college students.
The four students receiving the UC tuition waver scholarships are Hallie Brown of St. Michael’s High School, Anika Liljenwall of University of California, Davis, Jessie Bunkley of University of California, Santa Cruz and Dahlia Musharrafieh of Santa Fe High School.
Students receiving $1,500 silver scholarships are Jacinta Chavez of Taos High School, Connie Gao and Yuan (Karen) Mei of Los Alamos High School, Jonathan Height of New Mexico Military Institute, Ingrid Lindquist of St. Michael’s High School, Katherine Martinez of Robertson High School, Dahlia Musharrafieh of Santa Fe High School and Michelle Robinson of Questa High School.
Receiving $1,000 bronze scholarships are Caitlin Armijo of Santa Fe High School, Frank Chen and Maria Analisa Sandoval of Los Alamos High School, Michael Elliot of Robertson High School, Anna Garcia of Penasco High School, Elisabeth Humphrey of Santa Fe Indian School, Dana Maestas of Española Valley High School, Jennifer Redman of McCurdy School and Randolph Winnegar of Santa Fe Preparatory School.
The 20 winners of one-year $1,000 turquoise scholarships are Teresa Alvarado of Denver University, Liza Birnbaum of Santa Fe High School, Jeffrey Brahe of Monte del Sol Charter School, Jessie Bunkley of Colorado State University, Katharine Dahm and Sydney Ryan of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Rebecca Gonzales of New Mexico State University, Rebecca Martinez, Ashley Reid and Stephanie Montoya all of the University of New Mexico, Elena Gustafson, Sarah Harris and Abigail Worland all of Los Alamos High School, Jessica Hammon of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Christopher Kempes of Colorado College, Anika Liljenwall of University of California, Davis, Victoria Macias of St. Michael’s High School, Kristin Nichols of Taos High School, Amanda Salazar of Pojoaque High School and Michael Unzueta of Coronado High School.
The seven, $2,000 Hewlett Packard scholarship recipients are Andrea Gallegos of West Las Vegas High School; Andrew Meilstrup of Capital High School in Santa Fe; Rachel Mercer-Smith of Los Alamos High School; Chelsea Okamoto of Taos High School; Lindsey Ruth of Dulce High School; Natasha Woodards of Robertson High School; and Caitlin Zimmerman of Questa High School.
In addition, four students will receive Leadership scholarships of $1,000. Recipients are Rebecca Bustamante of Española Valley High School, Janna Nichols of Boston University, Robert Salazar of Coronado High School and Matthew Sheldon of Santa Fe High School. This fund was created to provide scholarship opportunities for Northern New Mexico students with significant financial need. These students also have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and achievements in their home, school and community.
Since the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund program began in 1998, more than 350 scholarships have been granted, according to Fox of the Laboratory Foundation. And Laboratory workers have donated $1.3 million to the scholarship fund since its creation.
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Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund drive campaign kicks off May 1
By Steve Sandoval
Program now in ninth year
The Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund encourages Laboratory employees, retirees and subcontract personnel to donate to a fund that awards college scholarships to Northern New Mexico area students.
Lab workers have until May 31 to return completed forms to the nonprofit Laboratory Foundation offices in Española. Remittance envelopes will be included with pledge forms, which are scheduled to be mailed to all Laboratory workers at their mail stops the first week of May.
Tony Fox of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, which manages the scholarship fund, said the Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund drive advisory board members will make a direct appeal to Lab workers by going out to various technical areas to talk about the scholarship program and to accept completed pledge cards.
"Employees at Los Alamos continue to demonstrate their willingness to invest in the future of Northern New Mexico and the Laboratory by contributing to this scholarship fund, and I am confident that this year will be no exception," said Julie Johnston of ES&H Training (PS-13), chair of the Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund Advisory Board. "The quality of our student applicants keeps improving. We always seem to run out of money before we run out of deserving students. All of these students are so deserving of these scholarships."
Since the program's inception, University of California Laboratory employees and subcontract personnel have contributed more than $1 million in donations or pledges to the Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund giving campaign. Some 350 high school seniors or college undergraduates have received scholarships through the fund since 1998. Payroll deductions start in September and will continue unless otherwise instructed by the donor. Employees can make changes to their pledge amounts by contacting the Laboratory Foundation.
Employees also can make a one-time donation. Personal checks can be written to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation. Lab personnel also can make pledges online by going to the foundation Web page at www.lanlfoundtion.org online. Employees also can pledge through payroll deduction or with a Visa or Mastercard.
The LANL Foundation is a philanthropic grant-giving entity created in 1997. It supports a range of regional and community not-for-profit organizations.
For more information on the scholarship fund, write to Fox of the Laboratory Foundation at tfox@lanlfoundation.org by electronic mail or contact Debbi Wersonick of Los Alamos’ Community Relations (CRO) Office at 7-7870.
