Natomas Schools Foundation Awards 6 Scholarships

Back row (l to r) Vince Kaleel of Comstock Mortgage, Ron Dwyer-Voss, Natomas Schools Foundation, Grants and Scholarship Committee Chair, scholarship recipient Rodney Haymer Jr. and Monty Maxwell, Comstock Mortgage. Front row (l to r) scholarship recipients Dahlia Perez Castillo and Nina Nganga. / Photo by Marc Laver

THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

The Natomas Schools Foundation announced Thursday it has awarded scholarships to six area students.

Recipients of the foundation’s 2013 Annual Scholarship Program were selected for demonstrating academic focus throughout high school along with their volunteer and work experience.

“We are proud that these students represent our district,” said Chris Evans, Natomas Unified School District superintendent. “Their academic achievement is impressive. These students not only excelled academically, but are also well-rounded as they demonstrated through their volunteerism and club participation.”

Scholarship recipients at the $1,000 level are:

• Sara Dixon, Natomas High School graduate, 4.67 GPA. Dixon has received numerous awards and achievements. In addition to excelling in the classroom, Dixon also supports her brother who suffers from Down Syndrome.
• Rodney Haymer Jr., Inderkum High School graduate, 3.5 GPA. A well-rounded student who is an active leader, Haymer is on the City of Sacramento Youth Advisory Committee, Inderkum High LINK Crew and Heron Elementary Basketball coach. His volunteer supervisor noted “he combined a rigorous academic load with a passion for service and leadership.”
• Nina Nganga, Natomas High School graduate, 3.0 GPA. Nganga immigrated from Kenya in her junior year and will graduate with more than 330 credits, more than 100 credits above what is required to graduate. She volunteers daily at the South Natomas Library, plays tennis, and participates in drama, MESA and the Environmental Club.

Scholarship recipients at the $500 level are:

• Dahlia Perez Castillo, Inderkum High School graduate, 4.1 GPA. Castillo is an academic mentor for “at-risk” freshman boys and participates in National Honors Society, Sabor Latino and on the Inderkum Soccer team.
• Arianna Garcia Barba, NP3 Student, 3.3 GPA. Garcia Barba is NP3’s Student Body President and placed 4th at the Sacramento Region Mock Trial.
• Celina Leung, NP3 Student, 2.9 GPA. Leung is active in NP3 CORE (Community, Outreach, Restore and Environment), participated in the Key Club and is an active volunteer at a nursing home and the Family Birth Center and Mercy Hospital.

“We are excited to re-establish the Natomas Schools Foundation,” said Javier Carrillo, Natomas Schools Foundation president. “This Foundation was set up to support the academic, athletic and artistic achievement of students in Natomas Unified School District. We are pleased to be able to provide these scholarships to students in our community as they pursue higher education.”

The Natomas Schools Foundation is a non-profit public benefit organization founded in 2004.