Eight seniors from four high schools in Manteca Unified are the recipients of scholarships this year from the Federated Women’s Club. They will be presented with the awards on Wednesday, March 18, during the annual scholarship-presentation luncheon in honor of the students who are being honored this year at Prestige Senior Living in Manteca.
The service club, which has been a part of Manteca since the early 1960s when it was founded by the late Clarese Anderson, selects its scholarship recipients based not solely on academic performance but also on extracurricular experience. The members believe that some students may not be at the top of the class academically but they manifest “many great qualities” as well, and they are “proud to help these students work toward attaining their goals” in life.
One of the recipients will be providing the entertainment at the awards presentation.
Below are the scholarship recipients and information about them in a nutshell:
• Sierra High School
Olivia Higby – Art. An outstanding student an athlete, Olivia is also musically inclined and loves to play classical guitar. A member of a 10-piece performance band, she has been accepted at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, and the California State University campuses at Sonoma and Fresno. Her career goal is to be a physical therapist and teaching private music lessons at the same time.
Haley Marie Silva – Academic. Haley Marie plans to major in electrical engineering at the University of the Pacific where she has been accepted. She plays the clarinet and is in the school band, and enjoys playing basketball. She is also in cross country and track.
• Manteca High School
Isabelle Garcia-Mendez – Academic. Isabelle is proficient in several languages besides English – Spanish, French as well as German and Italian which she is currently studying. She has been accepted to several of the universities that she applied to but has not made a final decision as to where she wants to continue her education after graduation. At Manteca High, she has been head drum major with the school’s marching band, and is the co-founder and lead of the female barbershop quartet on campus. Her multilingual proficiency is for a reason. She would like to one day work as a Foreign Service official with the eventual goal of becoming a U.S. Ambassador in a Francophone, or French-speaking, country.
Taranpreet Kaur – Academic. Taran will be majoring in Biology in the fall. She has been accepted to attend the University of the Pacific, but she has also applied to several University of California campuses. Her goal is become a medical doctor to fulfill her grandparents’ dream of seeing her and the rest of her generation in the family achieve higher education. In addition to her high academic performance, Taran is an accomplished artist and loves working at Doctors Hospital in Manteca and tutoring.
• East Union High School
Noah Ledesma – Art. Not only is Noah an outstanding student academically, he’s also a talented artist who is interested in a wide range of media including watercolors, pencil, acrylic and chalk. He has applied to several colleges in California as well as out of state to “follow his dream” in life.
Maliah Watson – Academic. The recipient of the 2012 and 2013 Youth of the Year award, Maliah is a big supporter of the Manteca Boys and Girls Club. It stands to reason her goal in life is to someday be the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. A member of the 2015 San Joaquin County Honor Choir, Maliah is passionate about singing. She has applied to several colleges in the UC system and other campuses including Fresno State where she has been accepted. She is still waiting for word from the other campuses before making a final decision.
• Calla High School
Katharyn Bradford – Academic. A strong believer in the philosophy that “we all need to believe in ourselves and (that) we can overcome any obstacle that may stand in our way to success,” Katharyn has set her goal to becoming a registered nurse someday. In the meantime, while working toward that goal, she plans to become an X-Ray technician. In addition to her strong academic performance, she plays the guitar and loves drawing and writing stories.
Danielle Hook – Art. Her goal in life is to own a professional portrait studio. She is on her way to her dream, possessing a great eye for photography while enjoying her other talents in singing which has been an important part of her life since her freshman year. She is currently a vocalist in a youth band. She also enjoys jotting down ideas that eventually turns into stories, and dreams of someday writing the great American novel and getting it published.
