STORIES ABOUT THE 2010 ADOPT-A-COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP EVENT
SCHOLARSHIP NIGHT – A CELEBRATION
Excited seniors, parents, teachers and supporters gathered in the Edenvale School cafeteria on May 20, 2010 to celebrate, listen to speakers, and see thirty-six scholarships awarded. Alma Maldonado-Castro, the principal of Edenvale School welcomed everyone and introduced special guests.
Adriana Jacquez, the 2004 Student Body President, welcomed her classmates back to Edenvale School with an inspiring speech in both English and Spanish. Adriana will be attending National Hispanic University.
The three sixth grade students, Damian Barron Rivera, Cali Tran, and Arianna Avalos Cisneros, who won the 2010 Golden Rule Essay contest each read their essays. All of them told about why going to college was important to them, how they planned to help their families and give back to the community.
Every year the Adopt-A-College Program honors someone who has played an important part in the program. This year, two people were honored: Jack Forkash and Dr. Anthony P. Russo.
At 93 years of age, Jack Forkash is the oldest financial contributor to the Adopt-A-College Program. Jack has demonstrated that believing in yourself combined with hard work leads to a successful life. Every year a scholarship is presented in loving tribute to his late wife, Edith Forkash. Azuncena Araujo received the Edith Forkash Memorial Scholarship.
For ten years, Dr. Anthony P Russo led the District as superintendent with a combination of integrity, commitment, and caring. As superintendent, Tony enthusiastically supported the idea of the Adopt-A-College Program and enabled it to actually become a reality. Vanessa Artiaga received the Anthony and Elva Russo
Scholarship,
“Eagles Write, Eagles Soar” was the title of Ginny Maiwald’s, speech to the seniors.
Mrs. Maiwald is a former principal of Edenvale School and author. As part of her talk, she read an essay that won a $10,000 national contest on “mentoring.” The money was donated to the Adopt-A-College Scholarship Program and every senior attending the event received an extra $250.
“Don’t Let Anyone Tell You What You Cannot Do!” was the theme of a talk by Meril R. Smith, Founder of the Adopt-A-College Program. He shared six Facebook messages from former scholarship winners.
Finally came the big event. Each senior was called to the stage and presented their scholarship by a scholarship sponsor. Students and sponsors then lined up on the stage until every scholarship had been presented. The site of everyone on stage was awesome and Mrs. Maiwald gave the scholarship winners a challenge. She stressed the importance of not only doing well in college, but even more important is getting three “A’s” in life: Assist (help others), Achieve (be the best you can be), and Aspire (make a difference).
Scholarship recipients, donors, parents and friends celebrated by taking pictures, talking with each other, and thanking scholarship donors. What an evening!
THIRTY-SIX SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
A big event - $44,500 in scholarships awarded! We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2010 Adopt-A-College Scholarships.
Azuncena Araujo - Edith Forkash Memorial Scholarship
Vanessa Artiaga - Anthony and Elva Russo Scholarship
Luis Avalos - Tony Garcia: Superintendent’s Scholarship
Ruben Avalos - Meril R. Smith Honor Scholarship
Miracle Carr - Ash Kalra Scholarship
Jessica Carreras - AAC Scholarship
Giselle Martinez Castro - William Dickens Memorial Scholarship
Maricurz Chavez - Betty Roeder: Great Oaks Scholarship
Raveena Cheema - Carole Caputo Honor Scholarship
Jesus Contreras - “Iggi” Moreno Memorial Scholarship
Anna Cuevas - Whitney Education Foundation Scholarship
Thao T. Dac - Linda Wight Honor Scholarship
Andrea Duran - Sharon & Bill Brecheen Scholarship
Jesus Gallegos - Bonnie Jacobson Scholarship
Martin Grijalva Jr. - Deanna Mouser, AALR&R Scholarship
Vanessa Gutierez - J.R. & Lisa Parish Honor Scholarship
Adam Ismail - Gerry Schmidt Honor Scholarship
Brian Itanen - Herbert Topf Memorial Scholarship
Adriana Jacquez - Mario Ortiz Memorial Scholarship
Bich Thanh Le - Leo Shortino Memorial Scholarship
Kamilya Johnson - Tina O’Hara Honor Scholarship
Erendira Chavez Lopez - Martin Baccaglio Scholarship
Amador Martinez - Alma Maldonado-Castro Honor Scholarship
Maria Mendoza - John R. Frazier Memorial Scholarship
Summer Morrow - Jo Fukasawa Honor Scholarship
Marlene Navaez - Ann Crockett Honor Scholarship
Julia Pedraza - Effie Masoumi Scholarship
Miguel Picho - Bobbie Shiraki Scholarship
Christian Seremeno - Barbara Smith Honor Scholarship
Michael Ruvalcaba - Margaret Ivey Memorial Scholarship
Edwin Moreno Silva - Student Body Scholarship – Pam Race
Martin Solorio - Kiwanis Club Scholarship
Marisela Soto - Sam & Olympia Barbara Memorial Scholarship
Ariel Torres - Kimberly Ivy Memorial Scholarship
Alan Truong - Golden Rule Lodge Scholarship
Ildefonso Viray III - Laura Vivit & Nicole Fox Scholarship
FACEBOOK – A WAY OF CONNECTING
Until “Facebook” we had no easy way to locate the 540 people who have received scholarships over the year. Thanks to three teams of University of Santa Clara students, we now have a “Facebook” account, a website, and a written plan in preparation of the 25th anniversary of the Adopt-A-College Program in 2013.
You are invited to join the Adopt-A-College Facebook site and keep in touch. Mr. Smith is also collecting some important information about what happens to each person. He wants to know:
• The year you received you scholarship
• Did you use your scholarship
• How many years of college you attended
• What kind of work do you do
• Do you have children.
• Anything you think Mr. Smith would like to know
So far, we have located almost 200 people.
DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT YOU CANNOT DO!
by Meril Smith
Twenty-three years ago, the Edenvale School Community started dreaming big dreams. We believed that the kids growing up here were just as smart as kids living in more affluent areas, but just did not have the same opportunities. We knew when we started the Adopt-A-College Program in 1988 and made a promise that we would provide a scholarship to get every Edenvale Student started in college, we would change lives.
We are receiving wonderful Facebook messages. Here are a few.
Kenia J Vega
I was in the first group of the Adopt-A-College Program. I received a scholarship. My college journey has been quite an experience since I became pregnant at the age of seventeen, but due to the positive impact the Adopt-A-College program had on me, I never quit on my dream to finish my education. Now I am junior at Santa Clara University and will be graduating next year. I will be the first one in my family to graduate from college.
Jose Mondragon
I remember being a part of the Adopt-A-College program and taking a field trip to San Jose State University. I still live in San Jose, as I am currently attending San Jose State University. I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor\'s in Accounting.
Kevin Theobald
I was in 6th grade when the Adopt a College first began, I believe I was a scholarship recipient in the first group. I graduated West Valley College with an Associate of Arts Degree and then San Jose State with a Bachelors Degree. I work for the Campbell Union School District with the After-school and Pre-school program.
D\'Shaun Crockett
I went to the University of Utah on a football scholarship and have been here since. I got my degree in Sociology and opened up a personal training business. I have 2 children, a boy 6 and a girl 4. I am really greatful for the Adopt-A-College scholarship.
Rubin Olegues
I have done well for myself since leaving Edenvale. I graduated high school and atttended college. I work in Campbell for a small community bank as their business developement and new accounts representative. I been in banking for about 4 years working my way up while still attending college. This year, I was fortunate enough to buy my first house.
Erica Cervantes-Rodriguez
The Adopt-A-College program was very important for me. Had it not been for this program, the thought of attending college would not have crossed my mind until the end of high school. Knowing that college was an option for me at a young age motivated me to get good grades and pursue higher education. All four of us Cervantes kids have attended College. My sister Jacqueline graduated from Santa Clara Univeristy with three degrees in 2005. My brother, Francisco, and my youngest sister, Crystal, are enrolled at San Jose State. I graduated from Santa Clara University in 1999. I was recently accepted in Pepperdine University\'s MBA program and I expect to start in the Fall.
These messages, and many others I receive, were made possible because at Edenvale School we really believe that each student will learn and each student has the potential of doing something special with his or her life. It takes many people to make the Adopt-A-College program successful…teachers, parents, community members. It takes adults believing in you, mentoring you, and knowing that you can achieve your dreams through perserverance and hard work. Most of all, it takes you…showing up to school every day, doing your personal best, never quitting, and knowing that going to college will give you many opportunites for a better life.
Each of you has the ability to do amazing things with your life…the choice is yours. Many of your friends will be jealous of your dreams and really try hard to discourage you. They might say, “You are not smart enough. Your family is too poor. Your skin is the wrong color.” However, I know that you are smart enough. You can go to college. You can do something special with your life. Do not let anyone tell you what you cannot do!
As you may know, I did not learn to read until sixth grade. One teacher believed in me and inspired me to learn to read. Had it not been for this teacher, I would not have gone to college, I would not have become a teacher, I would not have become the principal at Edenvale School, the Adopt-A-College Program would not exist and you would not be receiving a scholarship tonight. That man, my sixth grade teacher, Gerry Schmidt, please join me in thanking him for making a difference in my life and in your life.
A $10,000 ESSAY
At the Adopt-A-College Scholarship night, Ginny Maiwald read an essay that Meril Smith had submitted to a nation wide essay contest in June 2009. The essay contest was sponsored by J. R. Parrish to launch his latest book, “You Don\'t Have to Learn The Hard Way.” Mr. Smith’s essay was selected and a $10,000 check was presented at Edenvale School last September. The money was used to increase the amount of this year’s scholarships.
After the scholarship event, several people came up and asked that it be included in the Adopt-A-College Website.
Mentor Appreciation Scholarship Entry
“I am the oldest of five children. We grew up in a little shack my father built on a small plot of land between fruit orchards in the Santa Clara Valley of the 1950’s. My father was a carpenter and was frequently unemployed. During hard times, we survived on a case of elbow macaroni along with fruits and vegetables from the garden.
“As a youngster, I did not know how to read in first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade.
In sixth grade a marvelous teacher, Gerry Schmidt, told me I was going to learn to read or we would both die trying. I believed him and I did. Mr. Schmidt literally saved my life and motivated me to stay in school and eventually go to college. I never forgot.
“Thirty-five years later, I became the principal of Edenvale Elementary School in San Jose, California. In 1988, the Edenvale neighborhood had the second highest “crack cocaine” arrest rate in San Jose, 43% of the kids dropped out of high school, and five teenagers were arrested for murders. The tragic waste of human potential was simply unacceptable. I remembered that Gerry Schmidt changed my life because he really believed in me and knew he was the person who could make the difference in my young life. I wanted to be that person in the lives of Edenvale students.
“A small group of parents, community members, teachers and I decided that we would change things for kids growing up in the Edenvale community. Research was clear: teachers could identify dropouts with 80% accuracy by third grade and that youngsters’ aspiration level was “set in concrete” by age eight. If the fate of youngsters in the Edenvale neighborhood was to be changed, something had to start before third grade.
With that in mind, we wrote to over three hundred colleges across the country and asked if an Edenvale student could adopt them. Our students would be pen-pals to college students or faculty members and wear college t-shirts to special assemblies. At the end of the year, I made a crazy promise to the graduating sixth graders. “If you stay in school, show up to class every day and do your personal best, I will give you a scholarship to get you started in college.” I had no idea how I would raise the money.
“Six years later, twenty-three students came back to Edenvale to receive their scholarships.
On Thursday, May 7, 2009, $44,500 in scholarships was awarded to the 2009 high school seniors from the Edenvale neighborhood. In the twenty-one years of the Adopt-A-College Program, $323,500 has been awarded to 505 young adults who sat on the cafeteria floor, wore their college t-shirts and dared to dream big dreams because they knew their teachers really believed in them and served as their advocates and mentors.
“When I retired five years ago, I found Gerry Schmidt, my sixth grade teacher, and honored him at my retirement party…in the Edenvale School cafeteria filled with kids wearing college t-shirts. Thanks to Gerry Schmidt, I learned that no one can do everything. Everyone can do something. And when we really believe and work together, we accomplish absolutely amazing things.”
MORE ABOUT “YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEARN THE HARD WAY.”
Aloha, I’m J.R. Parrish, author of You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way. Yes, this book was written as the Perfect Graduation Gift for your high school or college graduate. It will teach them the things they were not taught in school that they will need to know to have success in the real world.
Those things include how to win with people, the habits that will lead them to success, how to make their dreams come true, how to make good decisions about dating, marriage and parenting, how to pick the right career and succeed with finances, and all about love and truth. It was also written for the parents of those children.
The reason you are going to want to learn what is in this book is it contains the four most important keys to success and happiness in life and you were not taught any of them in school. At age 20, I was a milkman in Fresno, California when a mentor came into my life and changed it forever by teaching me these four things.
1. The Power of Thought. What to think, how to think it and why. There is nothing more important than our thoughts yet we are not taught how to think. We are what we are today because of our previous thinking and our current thoughts are our preview of our life’s coming attractions. We become what we think about. Why then do we think things we don’t want to be true? Nothing is more crucial to our success and happiness than our thoughts yet we are still not taught how to control our thoughts. How many people really understand that thoughts only have the power they give them?
2. Habits. Good habits are the key to all success and bad habits are the unlocked door to failure. Everyone needs to know what habits will lead to their success and how to acquire them. They also need to be taught the habits that approach with the hand of friendship but can destroy them and how to eliminate or avoid them. Even how we think is a habit.
3. Human relations. How to effectively deal with each other. When is the last time you used algebra, chemistry, or biology? We were all taught them in school yet don’t use them. You have not been taught human relations skills yet you need them all day every day of your life. The people with the best human relations skills get the best jobs, the raises and promotions and have the best social lives. To minimize bullying, reduce shootings, fights and anger in our schools and workplaces we must start teaching our children and employees how to get along with each other and win with people.
4. How to make your dreams come true. There is a proven six step no nonsense formula to make dreams come true, yet we don’t even teach our children to have dreams leave alone the formula to make them come true.
You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way teaches all four of these subjects. Read and applied they can grow a person ten years in one year and give them the edge they need to succeed. Parents need to learn them and then teach them to their children. This book will open conversation with your child that you cannot open on your own. If you want to give yourself and your child the gift of a lifetime read and apply what you will find in this life guide.
If applying these principles could take me from being a milkman, to top salesman in the United States for a Fortune 500 Company, to founding one of the most respected and successful commercial real estate firms in Silicon Valley, to retirement in Hawaii at age 55 imagine what they can do for you and your loved one’s.
Aloha, JR