Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship fund awards 62 scholarships

Contact: Steve Sandoval, steves@lanl.gov, (505) 665-9206 (04-034)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., April 28, 2004 -- Fifty-eight high school seniors and college students are receiving 62 2003-2004 Los Alamos National Laboratory Employees' Scholarship Fund scholarships at an award ceremony May 2 at La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe.

Among the scholarship recipients are Yao Yao, a Santa Fe St. Michael's High School senior. She is this year's recipient of the four-year, $10,000-a-year platinum scholarship.

In addition, Brooks Robinson of Santa Fe High School, Aldeboran Rodriguez of Española Valley High School, Cristal Vasquez of Pecos High School and Phil Worland of Los Alamos High School will receive four-year $2,500-a-year gold scholarships.

Again this year, the University of California is awarding seven UC Nonresident Tuition Waiver scholarships. Four are full Nonresident Tuition Waivers; three are half Nonresident Tuition Waiver scholarships. These renewable four-year scholarships give Northern New Mexico students, who wouldn't qualify for UC in-state tuition through a different program, financial assistance to attend a UC campus at the in-state tuition rate, explained Tony Fox of the nonprofit Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, which manages the scholarship fund in collaboration with the University of California. Priority is given to students from low-income families who are first generation college students.

The seven students receiving the UC scholarships are Harlie Custer and Kassandra Marshall, Santa Fe St. Michael's High School; Charity Garland and Samantha Liddil, Las Vegas Robertson High School; Aaron Lenihan, Santa Fe High School; Flannery Merideth, Santa Fe Capital High School; and Christopher Paulson, Los Alamos High School.

Thirty-three students will receive $1,000 one-year renewable scholarships, while seven students will receive one-year $2,000 Hewlett-Packard silver scholarships and 10 students will receive $2,000 Comforce scholarships.

The Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund allows Laboratory employees, retirees and subcontract personnel to donate to a fund that awards college scholarships to Northern New Mexico area students.

"The Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund continues to deliver on its promise to help deserving students in the area to get a great education and a great summer-job experience at the Laboratory, and at the same time, help the Laboratory prepare the work force for tomorrow," said Bill Wadt, Los Alamos' Quality Improvement Office director and president of the Laboratory Foundation board of directors.

Students receiving $1,000 college scholarships, their high school or college they currently attend are as follows: Lisa Drake, Santa Fe Capital High School; Jessica Archuleta-Saiz, Pojoaque High School; Harmony Bowles, Pecos High School; Victoria Cruz, University of New Mexico; Harlie Custer, St. Michael's High School; Leslie Dabovich, Texas Tech University; Christina Dean, Santa Fe High School; Magen Fitzpatrick, Taos High School; Melissa Gibbons of Santa Fe High School; Andrew Gisler, Daniel Hemphill and Matthew Hemphill, all of Los Alamos High School; and Steven Honig of Montana State University. Honig and Dabovich are repeat $1,000 scholarship recipients.

Also receiving $1,000 scholarships are Dominic Hoy of Santa Fe Community College; Caitlin Johnson of Capital High School; Christopher Kempes of Colorado College; Adriane Lambert and Jerome Lucero, both of Taos High School; Aaron Lenihan of Santa Fe High School; Jessica Maestas and Valerie Martinez, both of Española Valley High School; Janna Nichols, Joseph Izraelevitz and Christopher Paulson, all of Los Alamos High School; Kelechi Okoro of Las Vegas Robertson High School; Stephanie Redman of New Mexico State University; Mark Rodarte of Pojoaque High School; Sandra Spiess of West Las Vegas High School; and Megan Vasquez of Peñasco High School.

The seven, $2,000 Hewlett-Packard scholarship recipients are Terri Cheng of Los Alamos High School; Kateri Esquibel of Santa Fe Indian School; Felix Flores of West Las Vegas High School; Jaclyn Herrera of Pojoaque School; Amorette Maestas of Mora High School; Rebecca Martinez of Española Valley High School; and Nicola Ulibarri of Taos High School.

The 10, $2,000 Comforce scholarship recipients are: Theresa Alvarado, McCurdy High School; Jeremy Espinoza, Northern New Mexico Community College; Ian Frank, Santa Fe Secondary School; Charity Garland, Las Vegas Robertson High School; Noga Landau, Santa Fe Preparatory School; Ofelia Martinez, Pojoaque High School; Ricardo Montano, West Las Vegas High School; Camille Peterson, Taos High School; Sophia Salazar, Coronado High School; and Rima Turner, Los Alamos High School.

In addition, four students will receive scholarships through the Endowed Leadership Scholarship Fund created in 2000 by former Laboratory Director John Browne and his wife, Marti. This fund was created to provide scholarship opportunities for Northern New Mexico students with significant financial need. These students also have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and achievements in their home, school and community.

The Endowed Leadership Scholarship Fund recipients are Marie Hennelly of Santa Fe Preparatory School; Jordan Maril of Santa Fe High School; Severo Martinez of McCurdy High School in Española; Anthony Trujillo of Peñasco High School.

Since the Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund program began in 1998, 250 scholarships have been granted, according to Fox of the Laboratory Foundation. And Laboratory workers have donated $789,000 to the scholarship fund since its creation.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission. Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, developing technical solutions to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security concerns.