Comcast Awards $73,000 in College Scholarships to 65 Local Students

by Elisa Klein | Jun 21, 2013 | Events, Features, News, Uncategorized

Portland, June 1st, 2013. The Comcast Foundation honored 2013 Oregon and Southwest Washington recipients of its annual Leaders and Achievers^® Scholarship Program. Four Portland Public Schools students receive Leaders and Achievers scholarships. Pictured are, Jerome Kersey, Former Portland Trail Blazers All-Star; Dr. Hilda Rosselli, Oregon Deputy Director of College & Career Readiness; Pamela Flores-Sandoval, Lincoln High School; Vanessa Dominguez, Roosevelt High School; Carole Smith, Portland Public Schools Superintendent; Katrina Rapp,  Grant High School; Mimi Ly, Benson Polytechnic High School; and Rodrigo Lopez, Comcast Oregon and Southwest Washington Regional Vice President. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus)

About 175 guests attended the 2013 Comcast Leaders and Achievers Celebration at the Portland World Trade Center on Saturday, June 1st. Photo by Andie Petkus.

Comcast awarded 65 Oregon and Southwest Washington students with $73,000 in college scholarships. Thirty-two of the students attend high schools in the Portland, OR Metro Area and ten of those are in the city of Portland. Each of the 65 students won a $1,000 scholarship, and two students were surprised with an additional Comcast Founders scholarship totaling their awards to $5,000 each. Fifteen of the students were also given iPad minis to use in college. The Comcast Foundation was founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum joins the Leaders and Achievers celebration as a guest speaker and helps surprise Vanessa Dominguez, Roosevelt High School senior, with a Comcast Founders scholarship with Rodrigo Lopez, Comcast Oregon and Southwest Washington Regional VP. Christina Chen (not pictured) from Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver also won a Comcast Founders scholarship. Photo by Andie Petkus.

“Each year, we are excited to provide scholarships for these talented students,” said Charisse R. Lillie, President of the Comcast Foundation and Vice President, Community Investment of Comcast Corp. “Comcast seeks students who demonstrate leadership abilities in school activities and who reflect a strong commitment to community service.  These students are our future leaders, and we hope these scholarships will help to power their dreams for success.”

Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon Attorney General, and Rodrigo Lopez, Comcast Oregon and Southwest Washington Regional VP, announce fifteen lucky students to receive an iPad mini to use in college. Photo by Andie Petkus.

Carole Smith, Portland Public Schools Superintendent, remind Leaders and Achievers scholarship recipients that they are agents of change and role models for their peers. Photo by Andie Petkus.

Former Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Jerome Kersey joins the celebration as a guest speaker and helps give Leaders and Achievers scholarship recipients medals to honor and symbolize their achievements. Kersey urged the students to go on to do great things, as teachers and parents have seen in them the ability to make a difference. He also gave a reminder to the students that every leader needs to hear now and then again: while everyone expects them to achieve greatness, they should also expect it of themselves. Photo by Andie Petkus.

Melaku Arega receives iPad mini in addition to a $1,000 Leaders and Achievers scholarship. Photo by Andie Petkus.

One of the Comcast Founders scholarship recipients is Vanessa Dominguez, a senior at Roosevelt High School located in North Portland. She was selected based on her outstanding essay and demonstrated leadership. Dominguez recently helped lead a documentary youth crew for “Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth” and co-founded Student Alliance Project. While active with the Roosevelt varsity volleyball team and other activities, she also contributes her time as the youth director for Momentum Alliance. Christina Chen from Vancouver’s Hudson’s Bay High School was the other Comcast Founders scholarship recipient.

Honored students and guests heard from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon Deputy Director of College & Career Readiness Dr. Hilda Rosselli, Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith and former Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Jerome Kersey. Rosenblum and Rosselli both advised the high school seniors to continually be involved outside the classroom throughout college. Smith reminded the scholars that they are agents of change and role models for their peers. Kersey urged the students to go on to do great things, as teachers and parents have seen in them the ability to make a difference. He also gave a reminder to the students that every leader needs to hear now and then again: while everyone expects them to achieve greatness, they should also expect it of themselves.

“We are continually impressed with the leadership responsibilities and commitment to community service the students in Oregon and Southwest Washington take on while working hard to succeed academically,” remarked Rodrigo Lopez, Comcast Oregon and Southwest Washington Regional Vice President. “These sixty-five students will undoubtedly do well in college and go on in life to inspire their peers to make change happen within their lives, schools and communities.”

2013-2014 OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON LEADERS AND ACHIEVERS® SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 

Portland Metro Area 

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers^® Scholarship Program provides $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

To date, Comcast has awarded nearly $19 million to nearly 19,000 Leaders and Achievers Scholarship winners.

Connect with the scholarship winners at www.facebook.com/ComcastLeadersandAchievers. Explore and “like” Comcast in the community at www.facebook.com/WePowerDreams.

The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified nonprofit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities.  The Foundation has three community investment priorities—promoting community service, expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow’s leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $123 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.

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