Stauffer Foundation gives $320K in scholarships to 930 students
DOWNEY – Nine hundred and thirty Downey Unified middle and high school students have received nearly $320,000 in various scholarships and awards from the Mary R. Stauffer Foundation.
These scholarships and awards were presented to students during the 2016-17 school year.
Stauffer Scholar Awards selections were made based on the applicant’s resume and essay.
Announcement of the Stauffer Scholars of the Year was made at the award presentations held in the gym of the high school to which the middle school matriculates. The names of the Stauffer Scholar of the Year awardees are added to a plaque that is prominently displayed in the office at each middle school.
The following eight students were awarded the Stauffer Scholar of the Year, from Doty Middle School: Madison Oliver and Rachel Spinosa; from Griffiths Middle School: Hauze Fragoso and Briana Mercado; from Stauffer Middle School: Matthew Largo and Emily Brent and from Sussman Middle School Ashley Hurtado, and Aaron Macias.
The Mary R. Stauffer Foundation also presented nearly 600 awards to Downey Unified high school students in the following areas: Community College Scholarship, Junior 4.0 Award and Scholar-Athlete Award.
The Junior 4.0 Award, valued at $100, was given to 161 high school juniors who maintained cumulative 4.0 GPA or higher. This has been awarded since 1992, before the foundation was formally established.
The Scholar-Athlete Award was presented to 348 high school student athletes from various grade levels. This $100 award was given to high school students who have lettered in at least one sport and have maintained at least a cumulative 3.5 GPA. In conjunction with the Scholar-Athlete Award, seniors were given the opportunity to apply for the Senior Scholar-Athlete Award which is presented to students based on GPA, team captain leadership, individual or team awards, and participation in multiple or community sports. This award was presented to seniors in increments up to $500.
The Scholar-Athlete Award is in honor of Dr. Stauffer’s late husband who was both a scholar and an athlete.
These awards reflect part of the foundation’s mission that states, “to motivate students to reach their scholastic, athletic, and artistic potential.”
The students who received the Community College Scholarship were: Nicholas Acosta, Sergio Acosta, Susana Ahumada, Marcus Alaniz, Janeysi Alfonso, Alexandra Alvarado, Denisse Alvarado, André Alvarenga, Stefani Aquino, Anthony Balderamos, Eugene Bernard, Lizbeth Borrayo, Eri-Daniel Bourgeault, Christina Brewer, Karen Cabrera, Selene Caro, Magdalena Castillo, Maria Castillo, Andrea Chavira, Helen Claros, Jazlyn Contreras, Caleb Corral, Francisco Correa, Jesse Cruz, Milton Cruz, Michelle Danilo, Martha De La Cruz, Erin Delgadillo, Juan Delgado, Alyssa Escarcega, Tania Estrada, Katie Estrada, Susanna Fiala, Sara Flores, Emily Foley, Julie Galicia, Anthony Garcia, Leslie Garcia, Anthony Gil, Daniel Gonzalez, Esmeralda Gonzalez, Yahri Gordiano, Tyler Griffin, Sharon Griss, Delany Guajardo, Yesenia Gutierrez, Tatiana Hernandez, Maria Hernandez, Ryan Hinostroza, Nathaniel Koeppe, Rajan Layugan, Ben Luevano, Jaqueline Luján, Juan Luna, Maria Lutin, Frank Madrid, Naydin Martinez, Karina Medina, Crystal Montañez, Isabella Moreno, Nicole Najera, Samantha Navarrette, Joaquin Nunez, Daisy Ochoa, Ashley Ornelas, Gabrielle Ortega, Leticia Ortiz, Luis Paiz, Esmeralda Parra, Noah Perez, Sharon Perez, Haylie Peterson, Robert Quintana, Julian Ramirez, Karla Ramirez, Vanessa Ramos, Giselle Reyes, Andrea Rodriguez, Christian Rojas, Crystal Silva, Jasmine Silva, Richard Suastegui, Adan Torres, Erick Torres, Heaven Tresvan, Kyle Vasquez, Natalie Vasquez, Luis Ventura, Dillion Walters and Joshua Zubiate.