Community: Scholarships, acceptance letters elicit pride

Graduating high school seniors who came through the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank program are making their parents and club administrators proud as they receive college/university acceptance letters and scholarships from some of the most prestige schools in the state and country.

Twin brothers Artin and Arthur Kasumyan have been accepted on full scholarships to Yale University, where they plan to study engineering.

Two other members, Fritz Landeros and Veronica Eudave, are headed to UC San Diego. Landeros plans to study engineering, while Eudave will explore child development.

Six additional members will enroll locally at Cal State Northridge, tackling subjects such as psychology or nursing, and a few still need some time before they declare a major. Azusa Pacific and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will also be welcoming club members this fall as well as Cal Lutheran, UC Santa Barbara and College of the Canyons in Valencia.

Several club grads also received scholarships from the College Futures Foundation and the Taco Bell Foundation.

“We couldn’t be more proud of these teens,” said Shanna Warren, chief executive of the club. “For many, they will be the first in their families to attend college and that is a huge accomplishment.”

The club offers a college-bound program to all high school teens, Warren said. Participants receive one-on-one case management help at no charge to ensure their individual success. The program offers resources and guidance for financial aid, SAT and ACT exams and college admissions. There are also workshops, guest speakers and tutoring available.

“I believe the Boys & Girls Clubs programs are some of the best programs out there. Seeing so many of our members planning their college experiences proves the point,” Warren said.

The nonprofit Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley has served the community of 20 years. Today, some 2,000 young people ages 6 to 18 participate in programs at the main club and 18 local school sites.

No child is ever turned away for an inability to pay. For more information, visit BGCBurbank.org or call (818) 842-9333.

If you ask me, these students’ achievements exemplify the club’s motto — Great Futures Start Here.

Panhellenic bestows scholarships

The Glendale Area Alumnae Panhellenic has presented its annual scholarship awards to two Burbank women.

The Panhellenic is a community-based organization encompassing the Glendale, Burbank, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Sunland and Tujunga areas, with member volunteers from one of the 26 sororities recognized by the National Panhellenic Conference.

Established in 1947, the group’s charter is to support today’s young women from the area in their pursuit of higher education.

Awards of varying amounts are given annually to eligible area high school senior women who are planning to attend a four-year college or university in the fall, as well as to eligible area college women who are active members in good standing of a conference sorority.

The Glendale Area Alumnae Panhellenic sponsors an annual benefit luncheon to raise money for the scholarships.

The college sorority member scholarship recipient is Lauren Cruz, of Burbank, who is a freshman at UC Irvine and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.

High school scholarship recipient Tianna Wolfe graduated from Bellarmine-Jefferson High School and will attend Woodbury University.

Glendale Panhellenic officers and volunteers for the 2015-16 year included President Georgine Archer, Burbank, Delta Gamma; Vice President/Benefit Chair Kim Westhoff, Glendale, Alpha Omicron Pi; Secretary Elaine Chapman, La Cañada Flintridge, Kappa Kappa Gamma; Treasurer Jerri Johnson, Pasadena, Sigma Sigma Sigma; Benefit Co-Chair Julie Weller, Glendale, Delta Zeta; Scholarship Social Chair Marta dePaula Cea, La Cañada, Pi Beta Phi, and Scholarship Chair Janice Paul, La Cañada, Delta Delta Delta.

Scholarship committee members included Rondi Werner Redmann and Deb Ann Orfalea, Glendale, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Rachel Clugston, Los Angeles, Delta Phi Epsilon.

The Glendale group is recruiting volunteers to become sorority alumnae chapter delegates or individual members. High school and college women interested in information about or assistance with conference sorority recruitment in fall 2016 or spring 2017 can find more information at glendalepanhellenic.org.

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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.