Here is part of the story of Galina Malakhova, who was presented a scholarship from McKinley Elementary School…
…Close your eyes and imagine this. You have just moved to the United States from Russia. You speak no English. There are only a couple months left of school and you enter Mr. Monroe’s fourth grade classroom at McKinley Elementary school wearing a very frilly and fluffy dress. In Russia, all the kids wear uniforms, the teachers call kids by their last names and they have to stand to answer questions. McKinley is VERY different from any school in Russia. You expect to be isolated and yet, the kids are very friendly. They are from all different ethnic backgrounds – just like all of the kids hear. With the help of Mr. Monroe, you make many new friends and in Fifth grade, you become fluent in English and an exceptional student.
When Malakhova moved on to Jordan, she went on a field trip to Cal Tech, with Mrs. Vinyard’s 6th grade class and that inspired her college dreams. She kept working very hard to make them come true. She will graduate from John Burroughs High School 6th in her class with a Grade Point Average of 4.3. She plays the flute in the band, she has run cross country, track and is an avid snowboarder and has volunteered at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, at the Buena Vista Library, and she tutors students at her high school. Galina was presented with a check in the amount of $2011.00 to help when she starts attending Cal Tech next semester.
