KCSD students named Ford Scholars
Four seniors from Lost River Junior/Senior High School won Ford Scholarships this year. From left to right are Aaron Reyes Rodriguez, Michelle Ruedas Chavarria, Johan Ayala Macias, and Jasmin Henandez Aguilera. Since this photo was taken, Jasmin has decided to attend George Fox University instead of SOU. Gilchrist Junior/Senior High School senior Samantha Spurlock [not pictured] has been selected as a Ford Scholar. She plans to attend the University of Oregon.
Article by Marcia Schlottman, public relations, KCSD.
Scholarship pays 90% of unmet need, including tuition, housing for four years
Six Klamath County School District seniors – including four from Lost River Junior/Senior High School – have been selected for four-year Ford Family Foundation Scholarships that will pay for 90 percent of their unmet college costs.
Recipients are Lost River seniors Aaron Reyes Rodriguez, Johan Ayala Macias, Jasmin Hernandez Aguilera, and Michelle Ruedas Chavarria; and Gilchrist Junior/Senior High School senior Samantha Spurlock. One of the recipients asked not to be acknowledged publicly.
The Ford Scholars Program is a highly selective scholarship that awards students from Oregon and Siskiyou County, California who are planning to complete a four-year degree at a college in their home state. The renewable scholarship provides 90% of unmet need for each academic year.
Of more than 1,000 applicants, 130 were named as Ford Scholars based on exceptional academic and personal potential and motivation to succeed in college. Recipients are selected for their academic potential, work ethic, as demonstrated by paid employment or working in the household, commitment to community service, and leadership skills.
Reyes, Ayala, Hernandez and Ruedas are bilingual – speaking both English and Spanish. All four thanked their parents for the sacrifices they made moving to the U.S. from Mexico and providing their children opportunities.
Spurlock, who overcame being bullied in school and is class valedictorian, thanked her father for pushing her to succeed. She also credited the Ford Scholarship Foundation for providing opportunities for graduating seniors.
“When I found out, I was so happy I started crying. I truly felt on top of the world,” she said. “This scholarship helps me in so many ways, the biggest being that I now have no financial worry.”
Meet KCSD’s Ford Scholars: