For a select few of Whatcom County’s graduates, the excitement of finishing high school was made even sweeter last week when they were invited to Olympia for the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Recognition Reception at the Governor’s Mansion.
For the past 15 years, Comcast has made a point of recognizing and rewarding hardworking students who go above and beyond at school and in their communities through the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship program.
Since the program’s inception in 2000, Comcast has awarded more than $21.6 million to approximately 21,000 graduating high school seniors nationwide. This year, 90 graduating seniors from schools across Western Washington and Spokane received scholarships in the amount of $1,000 or more to help them as they continue their education.
This year, eight of the 90 scholarship recipients hailed from Whatcom County, representing cities like Bellingham, Ferndale and Lynden, just to name a few. Several of the students made the drive south with their parents for the inspirational evening.
Just as proud as Comcast is to recognize Washington’s amazing student leaders, students feel equally honored. The scholarship is a symbol of their years of hard work.
Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship recipients are selected based on a few different challenging criteria. To be considered and selected for the scholarship, students had to demonstrate academic excellence through a minimum GPA of 2.8, provide examples of ways they’ve been leaders in their schools, and demonstrate how they’ve contributed to their communities.
Of the Whatcom County students who were selected, all had impressive achievements to share.
However, Squalicum High School’s Timothy Lann wasn’t selected based on his impressive academic merits alone. The 4.0 GPA student, who will be heading to Harvard, has also proven himself as a leader at home and abroad. “During my freshman year, I traveled to Mexico for two weeks to serve at an orphanage in Vicente Guerrero, participating in feeding programs and community rebuilding,” Lann explained in his scholarship application. “After this trip, I was so emotionally moved and inspired that I founded my own 501(c)3 non-profit organization to further the amount of people I could help get out of poverty.”
Students like Lann go above and beyond to not only prepare for their futures, but to positively impact their communities and — in some cases — the world.
Like Lann, Esmerelda Munoz, a senior at Sedro-Woolley High, has a 4.0 GPA. However, while Lann was helping communities abroad, Munoz was keeping it local as a volunteer Sunday school teacher at her church. “I believe I have learned as much from my students as they have learned from me,” said Munoz in her scholarship application. “Their curiosity to learn has inspired me to be more knowledgeable to answer their questions.”
For students like Lann and Munoz, scholarships like the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship are more than just financial assistance for college. Keynote speaker Reggie Jones said awards like the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship give students an opportunity. “It gives them confidence going into life,” said Jones. “This right here is a helpful hand.”
The event, which started with a Capitol Campus tour, culminated with a buffet-style dinner and reception in the Governor’s Mansion. During the reception, local leaders, including Washington State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos and former NFL cornerback Reggie Jones, offered words of wisdom and good wishes to the scholarship recipients.
Sabrina Register, the evening’s emcee and host of Comcast Newsmakers, said, “I think what Comcast is doing by supporting amazing leaders and achievers here in Washington State is a great thing. It’s a great way for today’s youth to be recognized, and Comcast is really proud to take part and sponsor these kids.”
The June 11 Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Recognition Reception was an event marked by excited students, proud parents and inspirational speakers — all there to recognize the hard work of the graduating seniors; our country’s future leaders.
You can learn more about this year’s Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship on Comcast’s website here.
