The Rotary Club of Monrovia has announced the winners of the club’s 2012 Academic, Community Service & Vocational Scholarships.  Twenty scholarship winners have been selected and the Rotary Club of Monrovia has allocated an unprecedented $22,700 in total scholarship money this year.  Over 100 scholarship applications were received and interviews held with 36 of those applicants by local Rotarians.  Selection was based upon a combination of GPA, perceived financial need, the applicant’s submitted essay, and their interview skills.  Bill Shieff, Chair for the Rotary Club of Monrovia Scholarship Committee, said about the increased number of scholarships offered this year, “Based on my years of participating in this process, financial need seems much greater this year than in the past.”

This year twelve academic scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors, eight to Monrovia High School students, two to Canyon Oaks students, and two to students from Mountain Park School. The Monrovia High School academic scholarship winners are: Giselle Moreau, Jason Zhang, Abigail Bahena, Corrine Marino, Alanna Koritzke, Nicole Wells, Amanda Samp, and Samantha Maggio. The Canyon Oaks academic scholarship winners are: Paul Caban and Vivian Magallanes.  The Mountain Park academic scholarship winners are: Charlene Hoang and Solana Rose Feldthouse.

This year two service scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors at Monrovia High School.  The service scholarships are awarded to applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to exemplary service in our community.  The Monrovia High School service scholarship winners are: Bryan Martinez and Jamie Truong

This year marks the first time the Rotary Club of Monrovia is partnering with the Monrovia Community Adult School to provide vocational scholarships in addition to the academic and service scholarships offered in past years. The Rotary Club of Monrovia provides 50% the cost of the vocational programs and the Adult School discounts them by 50%, making it a net 0 cost to the recipient (with the exception of books and possibly some fees). This year the Rotary Club of Monrovia is contributing to six vocational scholarships.   According to Flint Fertig, Director of the Monrovia Community Adult School, there are jobs in the community waiting for the skills that these programs deliver.  The vocational scholarship winners are: Sandra Pulido (Medical Assisting), Cindy Duenas (Certified Nursing Assistant), Pedro Avila (Certified Nursing Assistant), Jazmin Madrigal (Certified Nursing Assistant), Maria Alfaro (Pharmacy Tech), Oliver Greeve (Pharmacy Tech).

Congratulations to all the winners!  The Rotary Club of Monrovia is proud to help further the educational and academic advancement of the youth in our community.