Students receive 49 scholarships at Kent Community Foundation event

Kent School District students received 49 scholarships totaling more than $100,000 at an event presented by the Kent Community Foundation.

The scholarships included 14 administered directly by the Kent Community Foundation as well as those from partner organizations, including the Kent Area PTSA, Rotary Club of Kent, Valley Girls & Guys and Kent Rotary.

“This community scholarship event is a celebration of achievement, not just for the recipients but for the entire community,” said Brenda Farwell, president of the Kent Community Foundation, in a June 3 news release. “It’s an opportunity to recognize and honor the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of students striving to reach their academic goals despite challenges.”

The event connects students, businesses and local organizations.

“This annual event brings together local businesses, organizations, and individuals with a common purpose: to invest in the future by supporting the educational aspirations of deserving students,” Farwell said. “Through a wide range of scholarship opportunities, we are able to cater to diverse fields of study and backgrounds. This means more students have access to financial support, maximizing the impact on the community, now and in the future.”

More than 130 people attended the annual scholarship awards celebration May 16, emceed by Amy Hobson, a Kentlake High teacher, DECA advisor and former foundation board member. Attendees included 18 students and their families, donors, Kent School District staff, the Kent Community Foundation board, foundation volunteers and community supporters.

Interested students submitted their applications through the user-friendly Kent Community Foundation scholarship portal. Eligible students could apply for more than one scholarship, and certain scholarships allow past winners to reapply after their initial award.

Scholarship recipients were selected by committees for each scholarship.

Christine Sellers was one of the scholarship reviewers.

“With all of the negative things that are on the news and going on in the world, being a scholarship evaluator gives me a great deal of hope for the future of our young people,” she said. “I am always in awe of the amazing things the students are accomplishing, the goals they are setting, and the contributions they want to make. Doing this is special to me as I started doing so with my father-in-law, Lew Sellers, at his request. He is no longer able to be an evaluator, so I am doing it in his honor.”

For more information about creating a scholarship fund or donating to an existing one, contact Brenda Farwell at 206-786-1546 or info@kentcommunityfoundation.org.

Founded in 1986, the Kent Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the greater Kent community. Until 2017, the organization’s mission was to support cultural arts and education. In 2017, the foundation expanded their mission to better serve the changing needs of the community, particularly during the pandemic through Kent Community Partners. To date, the foundation has awarded $583,386 in scholarships and $576,572 in grants.

This year’s scholarship award recipients, listed by school, are:

Kentlake High School

• Kent Chamber of Commerce Scholarship: Alyssa Phillips

• Richard and Ina Balash Scholarship: Rylan Renggli

• Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation: Morgan Martinsons

• Emiko Craig Scholarship: Sophia Soriano

• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Morgan Martinsons

• Rotary Club of Kent Scholarship: Morgan Martinsons and Rylan Renggli

• Valley Girls & Guys Scholarship: Charli Culp and Tristan Jave Petruic

Kent Laboratory Academy

• Diego Moreno Scholarship: Micah Osgoodby

• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Micah Osgoodby

• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Dominique Smith

• Rotary Club of Kent: Dominique Smith

Kent-Meridian High School

• Mike Simmons Scholarship: Carlos Zuno and Dunya Farahman

• Rob Osborne Scholarship: Marlene Veveris

• Jim McGinnis Scholarship: Adrianna Patala, Giftie Mbala, Hana Amos, Ashley Arenas and

Stephanie Garcia

• Jan Louis Quitoriano Scholarship: Hana Amos

• Johnson/Stoddard Osness Scholarship: Hana Amos

• Audrey Rose Sells Scholarship: Dafne Gomez Barragan

• Gail Gese Scholarship: Stephanie Garcia

• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Stephanie Garcia

• Rotary Club of Kent Scholarship: Hana Amos

Kentridge High School

• Kent Chamber of Commerce Scholarship: Peace Kathanzu

• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Hannah Schloemer

• Pat Butler Scholarship: Brittney Van

• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Charles Shaffer

• Kent Rotary Scholarship: Charles Shaffer, Kaiulani Sale’-Ayala and Rylan Gullard

• Kent Sunrise Rotary Club of Kent Scholarship: Peace Kathanzu

• Valley Girls & Guys Scholarship: Mila Tsai

Kentwood High School

• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Ernest Rian Acob

• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Leila Ramirez-Noon

• Rotary Club of Kent: Maritza Mendoza Sandoval

Repeat scholarship recipients from past years

• Richard & Ina Balash Scholarship: Shumoos Abdelrahman and Andrew Cao

• Pat Butler Scholarship: Ashley Peris

• Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation Scholarship: Cassandra Champman

• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Jessica Gaul, Karina Foree and Briawna Chan