Over 30 AP Students Awarded $70K In Scholarship
Baumgardner: We are a village at Asbury Park High School
In applying for the second annual John Werts Entrepreneurial Scholarship, established last year by the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, Asbury Park High School senior TyMirah Williams wrote:
“Success to me is the person who doesn’t say much but knows a lot, the person that does not get noticed for all their hard work but continues to be great through all the hurdles life gives them.”
Williams was among the over 30 students who received an estimated $70,000 worth of scholarships during Wednesday night’s annual Senior Awards Reception, held at the Asbury Hotel.
“We are here to pay tribute to the wonderful achievements and the hard work of our students,” Guidance Counselor and event Emcee Barbara Paskin said.
This year’s recipients, she said, did not shy away from writing essays as others have done in the past and some participated in telephone interviews. There were also Educational Opportunity Fund [EOF] grants and Promise Scholarships awarded.
Receiving multiple scholarships were the high school’s top three students: Kathlanda Nelson, Jessica Gonzales and Briasia Love, who will be pursuing pre med, criminal justice and business management, respectively.
The Spirit of Giving, a new scholarship from the Asbury Park Toy Drive to honor students who work to give back to the community, awarded $1,000 each to Tyler Lanno and Jalene Stuart. And not only did the The Asbury donate the space for for the event but its manager Larry Dembrun matched the Toy Drive’s $1,000 scholarship for each of the two student.
As in years past, the scholarships came from close to 40 state, county and local organizations, alumni and business owners. Among the most poignant were those made in memoriam. They included the Shango Shakur Sweet Memorial Scholarship, named for an Asbury Park graduate who spent seven years in a coma before his death three years ago, the Joseph Wisa Memorial Scholarship named for a beloved math teacher who died last year, and the Gail C Snyder memorial Scholarship, named for a long time educator and given to a student who has prevailed despite facing challenges.
The Marine Corps Enlistment & Excellence Awards went to students showing scholastic, athletic, and musical excellence, as well as the American Patriot Award, which went to Osvaldo Garcia-Caballero – a student who turned down colleges in order to serve in the military.
Also new to the endowment landscape were two scholarship $500 awarded by Dominic Latorraca and Jacalyn Sharpe of Purple Glaze.
‘From day one we have been about neighborhood and about our community,” Latorraca, who also sits on the Board of Education, said. “We are proud to live and work in Asbury Park and we are proud of our youth of Asbury Park.”
Many of the scholarship given are renewable allotments that the students, who will be pursuing higher education in everything from nursing and criminal justice to medical, engineering, marketing, business administration, fine arts and music degrees. While most are attending colleges across the state, some will be venturning to Norfolk State University, Mount Saint Mary’s, Wesley, and Berkeley colleges.
“We are a village at Asbury Park High School,” Principal Kathy Baumgardner said. “At any given moment we have to call village members, Dr. Howard can attest to that. We have have situations where we have to call people on a dime to help our students. Thank you to all of you Blue Bishops, whether you are near or you are far.”
Below is a list of the students who received scholarships:
Rose-Guarlande Alexandre Rose Andre Judex Beaubrun Wilson Cesaire
Larhea Childress Brionna Dunkley Jada Floyd Anthony Fraser
Osvaldo Garcia-Caballero Jessica Gonzalez Karin Guerra Davensky Joinvilmar
Myriam Joseph Stevens Jourdain Tyler Lanno Breasia Love DeAnte Love
Kyrie Moore Sandra Mozo-Mendoza Mahjustice Murphy Mayahna Murphy
Schwon Narcisse Kathlanda Nelson Erionna Owens Isiah Rosario
Leslie Serrano Milton Simmons Mei-Ling Steward TyMirah Williams
Lia Zeldon
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