Twelve CUSD high school juniors honored as 2009 Students of Promise
Twelve Clovis Unified School District students were honored March 31 at a gala banquet marking the eighth annual “Students of Promise” awards. The event was held at TorNino’s and attracted more than 250 guests.
The “Students of Promise,” all juniors at CUSD high schools, were selected for maintaining good standing in school despite formidable personal obstacles or unusual challenges.
Each year, the Foundation for Clovis Schools sponsors the awards, with each student becoming eligible for a $1,500 scholarship upon graduation. “When Foundation Directors reviewed the nominations that were submitted on [these students’] behalf, we were humbled and in awe of their character and strength. They truly are remarkable,” said Foundation for Clovis Schools Chairperson Mike Flynn.
The Foundation raises funds for the scholarship program through individual and business donations. Educational Employees Credit Union was the major sponsor of this year’s event.
Students and guests were surprised with the announcement that Foundation Director J.P. Sethi and his wife Renu were giving each of the 12 students an additional $1,500.00 for a second year scholarship. Mr. Sethi commented, “Three years ago, I was a guest of Foundation Director Vasanta Shantharam at the Students of Promise dinner. My children went to Bullard High School so I did not have a connection to Clovis Schools. On the way home, my wife turned to me and said, ‘we need to support this program.’ We’ve been huge supporters of this program ever since and it led me to becoming a Foundation Director.”
This program serves as motivation for these students to finish high school and advance to higher education. Previous recipients have gone on to UC Berkeley, Cal Poly, Fresno State, the Clovis Center, Clovis Adult Education, vocational schools, beauty school and other specialty educational institutions.
This year’s “Students of Promise” include: Kirstie Breshears, Gateway High School; Seaira Delgado, Gateway High School; Lewis Dutra, Clovis West High School; Hazael Gonzalez, Clovis High School; Gilberto Lerma, Buchanan High School/CART; Vanetta Mata, Clovis West High School; Sarah Mullin, Gateway High School; Sahana Ashok Nayak, Buchanan High School; Hailey Ricord, Buchanan High School; David Samuels, Clovis High School; Steven Smith, Clovis West High School; Sammantha Wood, Clovis High School