LCHS grad among scholarship winners

The Glendale Area Alumnae Panhellenic, a community-based organization encompassing the Glendale, Burbank, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Sunland and Tujunga areas, recently announced the recipients of its 2015 scholarship awards.

This year, the group awarded its Mary Ellen Gilstrap Memorial Scholarship to two young women poised to attend college. The late Gilstrap, a longtime La Cañadan, was a member of the organization and was known for her support of her community. The memorial scholarships in her name go to students who have expressed a sincere desire for learning, been actively involved in school and community service and have plans for career development. Winners must also demonstrate high standards as individuals, placing high value on family and friends.

The two who claimed the award this year were Crescenta Valley High School graduate Kaley Pomeroy and Ani Sarkissian, who recently graduated from La Cañada High School.

Pomeroy, a resident of La Crescenta, plans to attend the University of Puget Sound, where she will major in molecular and cellular biology/neuroscience. Her ultimate goal is to attend medical school. During her high school career she was a scholar athlete, stage manager for CVHS theater arts programs, active with Prom Plus and a volunteer with several area organizations serving people in need. Her grandparents, Nancy and Bob Wagner, live in La Cañada.

Sarkissian, a Glendale resident, will attend Cal State San Luis Obispo in the fall, majoring in civil engineering. She was very active as a student at LCHS, serving on the School Site Council and as a member of numerous campus clubs, including the Bookworms Club, which she founded. Like Pomeroy, she was a student athlete. In her senior year, she participated in a NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory internship.

The 2015 College Sorority Member Scholarship recipients include Ari Sadanaga, Burbank, who is a member of Delta Delta Delta at Loyola Marymount University; Chelsea Johnson, La Cañada Flintridge, a member of Delta Gamma at the University of Chicago; Isabel Hodgson, Glendale, a member of Delta Gamma at Syracuse University; and Marisa Gonzales, Montrose, who is member of Zeta Tau Alpha at the University of Miami.

The 2015 High School Scholarship recipients who graduated from La Cañada High School include Sawa Keymeulen, who will attend Stanford University; Nicole Stevens, who will attend the University of Alabama; Catharine Cea, who will attend UC Santa Barbara; Erika Weiler, who will attend Loyola Marymount University; and Sophia Lamb, who will attend Clemson University. Teens from neighboring cities who received these scholarships were Leona Abrahamian, Olivia Homan, Angel Iwouma, Mindy Kim, Rachel Trujillo, Sharmagh Aghabeigi and Jordan Balla.