2010 Scholarship Winners

Scholarship Winners

The San Francisco Nikkei Lions Club, as the administering organization, is please to announce on behalf of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival the recipients of the two $2,000 Community Service Scholarships for 2010. They are Miya Sommers of Berkeley High School and Kristin Yasuda of Carlmont High School. A short bio of each student is attached for your use. Please feel free to forward any questions to this email address. Public presentation of the scholarships will be made at the 2010 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony on April 10, 2010, 1:15 pm, Peace Plaza Stage, San Francisco Japantown.

MIYA JENNIFER SOMMERS

Miya Jennifer Sommers is a graduating senior from Berkeley High School and is the daughter of Shirley Sommers in Berkeley. She has a grade point average of 4.83 and although is uncertain which college or university she would like to attend, will major in political science and international relations. She has been active in Berkeley High School holding student government positions of Junior Class President and Associated Student Body Vice President. She has also been very involved in interscholastic athletics through volleyball and wrestling. She recently place second in the 2010 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Girls Invitational Wrestling Tournament in the 114 pound weight class and this tournament is equivalent to the State Championships for girls wrestling. She was the CIF 2010 Northern California Regional Tournament Champion at 114 pounds. She enrolled in the extremely rigorous and prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) program in which most of her academics, starting with her sophomore year, are IB classes. The IB program is an international academic program equivalent to the Advanced Placement (AP) program in the United States. She has been a volunteer in the City of Berkeley Community Reading Buddies program and has been very active with her church. She has recognized by Berkeley through the Mayor’s Award of Citizenship. She has taken Mandarin for several years.

Miya writes “It is important to be involved in your community because you need one. Life is just too difficult to go it alone. You need the community during these dark times. And once you’ve regained yourself, you can give back to the community. It is a constant reciprocating cycle of human spirit. It holds our history and culture, our sorrows and joys.” Her IB English teacher writes “Miya has never wavered in her commitment to excellence in every facet of her life. In the 34 years that I have taught, I place Miya at the top of all students whom I’ve worked.”

KRISTIN SACHIKO YASUDA

Kristin Sachiko Yasuda is a graduating senior from Carlmont High School in Belmont, California and is the daughter of Nancy Sato and Arthur Yasuda of Belmont. She has a grade point average of 4.48 and has applied to Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard University with a major in Anthropology and Pre-Medicine. She has been active in Carlmont, belonging to the Key Club, CSF, the Asian American Club and the Carlmont Students Changing Lives. She also has been very involved in interscholastic athletics through varsity volleyball, soccer and badminton. She has taken a number of rigorous academic courses to include Advanced Placement (AP) biology, English literature, English composition, calculus and United States government. She has taken several years of Japanese and Spanish. She has been a volunteer in Medaka no Gakko which is a Japanese language and culture program, her church and a Japanese dance (odori) troop. She has received her teaching license for levels one and two.

Kristin writes “Every ethnic group has made important contributions to the American culture and economy, and our country has become a great nation because of this diversity. Understanding that everyone has similarities because we are all humans yet different because of our different histories, economies and cultural surroundings, helps us to get along with everyone and work together regardless of our back grounds.” Her yearbook teacher writes “Kristin is unique among her peers because, in spite of being accomplished student and athlete, she is still a kind and genuine person. Many of the gifted students I have worked with focus so intently on academics that they often seem detached from their peers and their surroundings. Her academic and athletic records demonstrate her ability to perform at a high level and succeed in the midst of difficult challenges.”