Creaser Education Foundation Scholarships Awarded
Five of the Sweetwater Union High School District's brightest students each received $4,000 scholarships from the Phil and Alice Creaser Education Foundation.
The foundation, founded in 1987 by the two South Bay residents, is given to students who have excelled academically and in their communities.
"These are people of great character and great moral value," said Mike Pradels, president of the foundation.
Scholarship recipients must be a graduating senior planning to attend a four-year university. Selection is based solely on academic achievement, school and community service. All references to the applicant's name and school are redacted before the applications are reviewed by foundation board members.
Creaser winners: Each student will receive a $4,000 scholarship to attend a four-year university. L-R: Connor Gallaher, Chanel Casayuren, David Orozco and Marco Gutierrez. Not pictured is Joori Kim.
To date, the foundation has distributed $600,000 in scholarships.
This year's recipients are:
Chanel Casayuren. This graduating senior from Otay Ranch High School is the school valedictorian, an accomplished pianist and an AP Scholar of Distinction who has played high school sports. During high school, she completed more than 400 community service hours. Three years ago, she founded Club SAVY--a volunteer club that is an offshoot of Volunteer San Diego. She plans to attend Cornell University to study chemical engineering so that she can research sustainable energies.
Connor Gallaher. This graduating senior from Hilltop High School is also the school valedictorian. He is a lifetime California Scholarship Federation member who took six Advanced Placement classes in his senior year--and earned straight As. He is a scholar-athlete who founded the school's tutoring club and received numerous awards for his participation in cross country, track and field and soccer. Teachers describe him as a true gentleman. He will be attending UC Berkeley to study biomedical engineering.
Marco Gutierrez. This graduating senior from Bonita Vista High School is an International Baccalaureate diploma candidate, having taken additional classes that qualify for the internationally recognized diploma. He has played on the varsity teams for soccer, martial arts and cross country. Marcos is the youth president for the Esperanza Learning Foundation and was active in several service organizations, including the Optimist Club and Shoes for Hope. His childhood dream has been to build airplanes. He plans to attend UC Berkeley to study aeronautical/mechanical engineering.
David Orozco. This graduating senior from Bonita Vista High School is also an International Baccalaureate diploma candidate. He has served as the president of the California Scholarship Federation and vice president of the International Baccalaureate Club. David was the school's representative for the Minority Introduction to Engineering and Sciences program at MIT, a summer program for high school students. He received early acceptance to MIT and plans to attend in the fall where he will major in physics and mechanical engineering. He has played on the varsity wrestling and cross country teams.
Joori Kim. This graduating senior from Eastlake High is the school's salutatorian. She has served on the school's robotics teams, traveling with the team to the regional and national championships. She was a Girls' State First Alternate and was active in several county clubs. Joori has served as a literacy tutor for the YMCA and is a student intern reporter with the Korea Daily newspaper. She plans to attend Cornell University where she will major in industrial labor relations.