
Six students receive scholarships from the Burbank Board of Realtors to continue their education on the next level. Recipients want to pursue health and scientific career goals.
By Joyce Rudolph
BurbankNBeyond
The Burbank Board of Realtors presented six scholarships during the Caravan Breakfast Thursday at the board of Realtors hall.
Marion Chase, chairwoman for the awards, explained the importance of the awards.
“These awards in a way is a way for us Realtors to contribute to the community and pay it forward,” she said.
Recipients are:
Valery Vasquez ranks #3 in her class of 662 at Burbank High School and has chalked up 440 hours of community service. She has served in leadership positions in the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, Key Club, Medical Association and she and a few friends as freshmen founded Club Marine to raise awareness about Marine Life Protection. Valery is serving as vice president. She will continue her education at Stanford University with plans to become a pediatrician.
Lorena Navarro-Guillen has spent the last two years earning her high school diploma at the Burbank Adult School and has achieved at 3.14 GPA. She has worked for the last seven years as a nurse’s assistant and is pursuing a career in nursing. She will attend college and eventually become a Registered Nurse. She managed to balance a full school schedule, her job as a nurse’s assistant and extensive community service helping to deliver food and clothes to the Midnight Mission.
Mariam Kyarunts is in the top 4 in her class of 662 at Burbank High. For the past five years there were only As, some plusses and only three A minuses. She has held leadership positions in Key Club, California Scholarship Federation, National Honor Society, Academic Decathlon and completed 150 Service Learning Hours with Key Club. Mariam is going to Stanford to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology in order to enter medical school. She loves to learn and pursue knowledge of medical discoveries.
Marin Sklan is a student at Burroughs High School but has also studied at Oxford University. At Burroughs she has been a member of the Vocal Music Association where she has performed with the Sound Waves and Sound Sensations. She is also part of the production team for the Dance Department. She is a seal bearer and has continued membership in the California Scholarship Federation. She tutors students in Advanced Placement calculus, AP European history and chemistry. She also volunteers at the American Cancer Society thrift store.
Kevin Mark has known what he has wanted to do as a career since age 4. He wants to pursue a career in the nation’s space program. He has a 4.43 GPA and scored 2390 out of 2400 on the SAT test. He participates in his school’s annual math, science and techology fair and in the 2012 competition received first place for physics, first place in calculus and second place in game programming. He plans to attend UCLA.
Enrique Meneses came to the United States from Guatemala and he an his mother would test each
other while learning English. He finished #1 in his class at Bubank High School with a GPA of 4.55. He has more than 100 hours of community service at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center volunteering in the Intesive Care Unit. He is a member of the Medical Association, California Scholarship Federation and National Honor Society. He will attend Harvard University and would like to be a doctor, engineer or research scientist.
Chase said the scholarship program was started in 1986. Those serving with Chase on the selection committee were Karen Volpe, co-chairwoman; Alisa Cunningham, Sharon Fane and Saverio Ficoceli. There were 16 applications submitted and the committee narrowed it to six recipients. Funds are raised by the Realtors auctions. In addition to scholarships, the board also donates funds to Family Promise, Burbank YMCA, Kids Dental Clinic and Habitat for Humanity.