Scholarship Night Honors Seniors

More than $121,000 went to 122 (HMBHS) seniors last week at its annual Scholarship Night, a program that honors exceptional seniors with contributions from Coastside families, teachers, services groups, nonprofits, and businesses.

HMBHS counselor Kira Gangsei said that the program is unique in that the scholarships awarded in this program “go beyond that by recognizing the ways in which all of these students are exceptional and how each and every one has helped make Half Moon Bay such an extraordinary place.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to be entrusted with leading such an amazing program,” said Gangsei, who’s been the chair of the program for the past two years.

In its 49th year, the program brings the community together with personal stories and memorials honoring former students, teachers and local organizations all with the common goal of helping students with their education goals.

This year in particular was a generous one.

“Last year there was a sharp increase in scholarship donations. It went from $113K to about $122K, and this year it was about the same at $122K,” said Gangsei.

“In spite of this economy, it is heartwarming to see the community helping the students with their education goals,” said Half Moon Bay City Councilmember Marina Fraser. “I’m so proud of this community for their generous contributions to honor the seniors with a wide variety of scholarship funding.”

In addition, this year’s program gave out 150 scholarships. The application process starts in the beginning of each school year when seniors have the option to apply to be considered for all scholarships in the program.

“A diverse committee of teachers, administration and counselors read all of the applications and take notes,” explains Gangsei. “We meet three times as a committee and match kids up appropriately with scholarships based on their unique criteria. The meetings are lively and thought provoking, and it is a great committee to be a part of.”

Some donors ask the committee for candidates that they’d like to interview and select themselves while other donors “trust us to select the recipient based on their criteria,” said Gangsei.

Whatever the case, almost every student who applies is awarded at least one scholarship, and some receive multiple.

Take seniors Liana Brinkmeier and Juan Ayon, for example. They were selected for their exceptional performance throughout high school, especially in math and science and each received $5,000 from the Bradley Royer Memorial Scholarship.

In its 20th year giving scholarships to graduating seniors, the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee, gave eight scholarships totaling $9,500. It is also the year that the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee reached a goal of $100,000, which was “a dream of one of our earlier committee members who started the scholarship program with me,” said board member Kris Mason. “Her name is Lorraine Valladao, and we created a new memorial scholarship in her name this year.”

The criterion for the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee’s scholarships is not necessarily based on high grades but how much community service the student contributes during their high school years.

“We look for consistency in their volunteer work, volunteering for organizations that they have a passion for not just because they have to do community service to graduate,” said Mason, who adds that she’s always amazed at some of the incredible essays written by the students and “always looks forward to the excitement of awarding them their scholarships.”

One essay in particular stands out in Mason’s mind. “I really liked the essay written by Danielle Santiago, who we awarded our Lorraine Valladao Memorial Scholarship. It was strong, powerful and compelling. She has conquered many adversities, but still has a positive attitude about life and where it is taking her.”

Then there’s the , which for seven years now has given out $10,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors. This year they gave 20 $500 scholarships. Recipients fall into two categories: 1) employees that have worked for the company for at least eight months with a steady, permanent shift and are in good standing both at work and at school and 2) deserving students selected by a committee at the high school.

“Since our opening in 2000, we have hired many high school students and encourage them to pursue a college education,” said Half Moon Bay Brewing Company co-owner Christine Mendonca, who’s been fundraising for the local school district since 1993 and currently serves on the Cabrillo Education Foundation board. “The owners and staff at the Brewing Company value education and this is our way of supporting higher education.”

For Mendonca, it’s also “an honor and incredibly rewarding” to be on the stage handing out the scholarship awards.

“The graduating seniors are so appreciative,” she said. “The money and acknowledgement of their accomplishments makes a difference to each and every one of them. I am so proud of not only of those that the Brewing Company gives a scholarship to, but also I am proud of all the high school graduates.”

Teachers also gave out scholarships this year. John and Larkin Evans, HMBHS art teacher, gave several scholarships.

But perhaps the most poignant moment of the evening for all came from a mom whose sophomore son Seth Koller was killed on Highway 1 about two years ago.

“This year would have been Seth’s senior year,” said Gangsei. “Seth had a creative spirit and his mother chose to honor his memory by establishing this scholarship to recognize creativity in his classmates.”

Koller’s mom, Mary Sanders, gave out nine $1,000 Seth Koller Creativity scholarships to students who are engaged in various creative pursuits.

“Outside of my everyday work with students, this project has been my favorite aspect of my job,” said Gangsei. “I really love the program because it shows Half Moon Bay at its best.”