Stuart Foundation helps students go to college
 |
| Some of the Stuart High School graduates who received scholarships from the Stuart Educational Foundation. |
given an opportunity to attend college thanks to the help they got from the
Stuart Educational Foundation.
$900,000 and provided scholarships to more than 390 Stuart graduates.
In recognition of that success, Diane Kilbourne, the foundation’s
president for the past five years, was named the Mason District 2016 “community champion” by Supervisor Penny Gross. The community champion program is sponsored Volunteer Fairfax.
their dream of postsecondary education is inspiring to community members who
are donors, students who are recipients, and volunteers who ensure that young
people can succeed,” Gross says. “Diane works quietly behind the scenes, but
her contributions truly make a difference in many lives.”
first scholarship recipients, Liana Montecinos, an immigrant from Honduras,
graduated cum laude in three years from George Mason University in 2009. She is
working as a paralegal while attending law school at the University of the
District of Columbia and founded her own nonprofit, United for Social Justice, whose mission is to enable more low-income and at-risk high school
students to gain access to higher education.
Among the
other scholarship winners:
- Thien Thanh
Nguyen, an immigrant from Vietnam at age 16, graduated summa cum laude from
Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in biochemistry and currently
attends the Medical School at VCU.
- Asha Noor, of
the Stuart class of 2008, graduated from Michigan State University, earned a
master’s degree from GMU in conflict analysis and resolution, worked with various
non-governmental organizations, and is considering earning a PhD.
- “I could not
achieve all the accomplishments I did today without the generous donation and
support from the Stuart Educational Foundation,” says Fan Chen, who immigrated
from China at age 16, started taking ESL classes at Stuart, then moved on to
the International Baccalaureate program. He graduated from Virginia Tech and
now works as a corporate bond analyst at Wells Fargo Securities.
- Ayana Wilson
graduated from VCU with a double major in criminal justice and homeland
security and emergency preparedness and currently attends law school at Emory
University.
- Yong Wu
immigrated to the U.S. from China three months before starting Stuart. After
earning a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia, he
started a PhD program at the California Institute of Technology.
- GMU graduate Mirella
Saldana Moreno says the scholarship from the Stuart Foundation provided more
than financial support: It mean there were people in the Stuart community who
believed in her and had confidence in her ability to succeed. She plans to
return to GMU to pursue a master’s degree in education.
The
foundation was started “because some people in the Stuart PTA realized an there were an awful
lot of talented kids who didn’t have the money to attend college,” Kilbourne
says. So they formed a nonprofit and began raising money. This year, the
foundation will surpass the $1 million mark.
Last year, the
foundation distributed $145,000 to 66 students. Scholarship amounts usually start
at $1,500 and can go up to $5,000, depending on the student’s needs, Kilbourne
says. Some of the scholarship recipients go directly to a four-year college,
while others start at Northern Virginia Community College, then transfer.
This year’s
scholarship winners will be announced at the Stuart graduation ceremony in
June. In selecting recipients, the foundation considers students’ academic
success, rigor of coursework, school commitment and activity, community
involvement, commitments such as family support or jobs, and recommendations
from faculty and community members.
The Stuart
Foundation formed partnerships with the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club,
Bailey’s Crossroads Lions Club, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Those
organizations contribute to the Stuart Foundation and also raise additional
money for scholarships.
“About three
years ago, we got in touch with as many awardees as possible and asked them to tell
us how they did in college,” Kilbourne says. “We were very gratified. Many had
gone on to graduate school.”
“They said
the Stuart Foundation was crucial,” she says. It helped them get their foot in
the door, and once they got to college, they found other ways to pay for their
education.
The foundation raises funds through a direct mail campaign and fundraising events. Contributions can be made on the foundation’s website.