BERKELEY ROTARY CLUB AWARDS 4-YR SCHOLARSHIPS AT 6/20 LUNCHEON
by Pardee, Anne
Accompaned by their families, the three winners were presented at our June 20th luncheon the 4-year
scholarshlps that our club annually gives to students who might otherwise not be able to attend
college without our help. Each student in turn thanked the club members and discussed their
academic plans and vocational goals. The full report by the chair of our Scholarships Committee,
Anne Pardee, is below. President Reg thanked Don Alter for his long leadership of our Scholarships
effort and Anne for her effective filling in when Don became ill this year.
Since 2001, Berkeley Rotary Club has awarded a 4 year collegiate scholarship to over 25 deserving
high school students from the area. This year, we received 27 applications and invited 10 of these
applicants in for interviews. Out of these 10, 3 were selected to receive a Berkeley Rotary Collegiate
Scholarship which consists of $4,000 a year for 4 years. It was a hard decision but each of these
students has demonstrated passion, commitment and an intense desire to succeed.
Yesenia Canada is a first generation student whose family is from El Salvador. She is passionate about
literature and learning and wants to help those in need by becoming a doctor, possibly a cardiologist.
She has already worked on pursuing her dream of helping children by volunteering at Children’s
Hospital. She will be attending UCLA. Her mentor is Michele Lawrence.
Gbari Gilliam has wanted to be a dancer from the age of 6. He is truly a home town boy as his mom,
grandmother, aunts, great aunts and uncles all graduated from Berkeley High. His goal is to give back
to his community by possibly establishing a dance company in the Bay Area. He also will be attending
UCLA where he will be studying dance and sociology. His mentor is Alex Henderson. Sallie Weisinger
represented Alex at today’s luncheon.
Rebeka Lama reminds me of a scene from My Fair Lady when Professor Higgins allows Eliza to speak
to a dialect expert and he (incorrectly) indentifies her as a Russian Princess rather than a flower seller
from Liverpool. Rebeka came to the US from Nepal at age 14; not speaking a word of English, and
now speaks it flawlessly. A Y-Scholar, she, like the other two, has an amazing can-do attitude as
exemplified by teaching herself to play the piano in order to be the much needed piano player at her
church. She wants to help children, especially those in developing countries, by becoming a
psychologist. She will be attending the University of San Francisco. Her mentor is Pat McMillian.
Rotary Exchange Students from all over the North Valley and Northern Sierra’s spent last Saturday
morning sanding and staining picnic tables at Paradise Aquatic Park as one of their last service
projects before heading home to their respective home countries. Every year thousands of students
worldwide participate in this program which allows students to spend an entire year in another
country hosted by local Rotary Clubs. During that year the students, usually in their Junior or Senior
years of High School, live with local families and attend public schools. Local clubs sponsor the
Exchange Students and help them integrate into the community. This year the Rotary Club of
Paradise sponsored a student from Switzerland and starting in July will be sponsoring a student from
France. The interaction of these Exchange students in our schools and local families gives a broader
prospective of the world. Many of these Exchange Students go on to Leadership roles in their native
countries. Justin Miley, one of the District Youth Exchange Coordinators hosted the exchange
students overnight at his home and after the refinishing work was done at the Aquatic Park the
students spent the rest of the day at a poolside barbeque.