By Sandi Clinton, Education Committee Chair

On May 25, 2023, I had the pleasure of attending the SLV High School Awards Ceremony. Representatives from over fifty local nonprofits, businesses, and clubs attended and collectively awarded students tens of thousands of dollars toward their higher education goals.

Each year, the VWC Education and Scholarship Committee supports students and teachers in our community in various ways, including two $1,000 scholarships awarded to high school students who are continuing their STEM studies and general education studies at Cabrillo College. Both of our high school scholarships this year were awarded to truly remarkable students. It was a wonderful experience to attend the ceremony and hear about the many accomplishments of the young people there, not just our own recipients but all the students who participated and received awards. Their collective dedication, creativity, and passion are inspiring and give me tremendous hope for our future.

Our STEM scholarship recipient this year was Jude Penny. During his high school career, Jude excelled in his studies and maintained an impressive GPA; he also volunteered much of his time to “Save Our Shores” and “River and Road” clean-ups and assisted teachers in elementary school classrooms. Jude shares VWC’s passion for the environment and our vision of protecting and preserving it for future generations. He is headed to Cal Poly Humboldt in the fall and has chosen to pursue a degree in engineering, focusing on sustainable energy technology. He aspires to engineer creative, technological solutions to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Our Cabrillo scholarship was awarded to Star Weisner. Star spoke very openly in their application about the neurological differences and challenges they’ve worked to overcome throughout their life. Star was introduced to dance at an early age, which quickly became their passion and touchstone for self-love and expression. Dance has enabled Star to meet and work with other artists from around the world, and it has provided them with opportunities to lead and teach others the benefits of challenging and moving our bodies in creative ways. Star believes that the universal language of dance is an essential part of our human experience, and they want to share their passion with their community and impart their love of self-expression with others in a safe and respectful environment that invites and encourages students to embrace and nurture their authentic selves. Star plans to continue dancing with the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center’s Pre-Professional Company while pursuing their AA in dance from Cabrillo College.

We welcome your support if you want to donate to our education funds!