2010 High Hopes Scholars

Check back for upcoming news and updates from our class of 2008 and class of 2009 Scholars who have now began their Junior and Sophomore years!

The Berkeley Community Fund is on Facebook!

This year we are proud to award Denny Abrams and Richard Millikan, developers of Fourth Street, with the 2010 Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal, which since 1929, has been given to a person or persons who has provided outstanding service to our community. Along with Denny and Richard, we will be honoring the Berkeley Public Library Foundation and Ilene Abrams, former college counselor at Berkeley High School with BCF Education Awards, at our dinner on:

Thursday, October 21, 2010

at H’s Lordship’s Restaurant on the Berkeley Marina

We invite you to sponsor a table at the dinner and join us for a wonderful evening to celebrate what is best about Berkeley – the variety of people, opportunities and interests that surrounds us. By sponsoring a table at the dinner – and by inviting your friends and colleagues to attend — you help support the BCF organization and allow us to increase the number of Berkeley students we can help each year. At the same time, you get to hear about what we are doing and meet some of the students we are supporting. Because of your position in our community and your continuing support for education, being able to list you as a Dinner supporter, in the invitations that will go out broadly and in the dinner program, will encourage others to attend and support our work.

Below you will find a form that describes the options for sponsoring a table at the dinner. Please consider it and feel free to call us if you have any questions about the event. We are looking forward to a great evening and to having you there to share it.

2010 Dinner Sponsor Form

You can also RSVP below by October 14, 2010:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Learn more about our 2010 Scholars here!

2010 Spring Newsletter

cforms contact form by delicious:days

• 2010 Wilkins Duignan High Hopes Scholarship recipient
• Amherst College

As I began my junior year, my family’s emotional and financial stress finally caught up with me. It was difficult for me to cope with the heavy junior year course load in the academically challenging program I was in, International Baccalaureate. I withdrew and became depressed. Concentrating became difficult. It was only in the last two months of my junior year that I began to understand that I was coping with my heavy stress by withdrawing. I realized that this strategy was leading me further and further away from my academic and personal goals. I resolved to take control of my life again. I informed my guidance counselor of my emotional state and academic concern. I gradually regained my enthusiasm and once again started performing up to my capabilities. I am proud of having bounced back from my own depression, of having developed insight and having begun to explore the field of psychology.

Nicholas’s updates

“Nick is no stranger to struggle, but through it all he has prioritized his education. He is also excellent at seeking out needed resources—and if he can’t he find the resources, he creates them himself. He founded the Black Scholars Club and is a respected leader.”

Teacher, Berkeley High School

• 2010 Ask.com High Hopes Scholarship recipient
• University of California, Santa Cruz

Although I have received solid academic preparation in high school, my non-academic learning in the past few years is what has prepared me for life as an adult: to be an independent thinker, to develop my own goals and path in life. My parents jokingly call me their “son”, for although their dreams of a better life have shaped my educational goals, in many respects I do not fit into their plans for me. I will never be the “miniature housewife” they desire me to be. I am the girl who would rather pick a book than a dirty dish, who would rather tackle much larger opponents in a rugby match than stay indoors. I’m respectful but strong—an independent thinker, capable of voicing my opinions, and loud when I need to be.

Iris’s updates

“What is particularly striking about Iris is her resilience. She has had to struggle with myriad challenges yet nonetheless been able to achieve academic success. She is a kind and empathetic person who serves as support for others.”

Teacher, Berkeley High School

• 2010 High Hopes for the Future Scholarship recipient
• University of California, Santa Cruz

After my first quarter of middle school, I received an “F” in my English class. I was extremely disappointed therefore during the next term, the majority of my time was spent with tutors and studying. At times, this was difficult for me since I wanted to spend more time socializing with my peers. During many lunch breaks, I would tell my friends that I could not go to the cafeteria with them and would instead find an empty classroom to study in. At other times I would find my English teacher, who would work with me on assignments. During the weekends, the best place to find me when I was not working or helping my family was in the Berkeley Public Library. By the next quarter, I had all A’s and B’s. Today, I continue to study with the same consistency and dedication and plan to persist with this approach during my college education.

Tenzin’s updates

“He is a passionate, intelligent, industrious student who will be able to navigate and find success in college because he asks for support and is competitive.”

Teacher, Berkeley High School

• 2010 High Hopes for the Future Scholarship recipient
• San Francisco State University

There came a point when I questioned the reason of being on the Field Hockey team when I didn’t get much playtime. The first thing that crossed my mind was to quit, but instead I decided to prove myself once more as a worthy player. I had my ups and downs, but over time, I got to play more and more during important matches. As a Latina from an immigrant family, I have to learn to fight like that to get equal opportunities to develop and grow. During junior year, I was discouraged to take chemistry by a counselor, because the counselor knew its rigor. I insisted to take the class anyways because I too wanted a chance at getting not just my high school diploma, but also my International Baccalaureate Certificate. It was really hard and my grades suffered, but now I have the satisfaction of having tried it and in the process have learned a tremendous amount. I now belong to a group of fifty students out of 250 who are still on track to get their IB certificate. It is sad to me that only a handful of those are minority students but at the same time, I am proud to be one of them. When I set my goals for myself I make sure to reach them, whether that is in sports or academics.

Esperanza’s updates

“Ever resilient, she has grown into a mature, loving, and positive young woman, one who will achieve any goal she sets for herself and on the way there will better the world around her. I will always remember her, because I have never seen a student with more courage and determination than Esperanza.”

Teacher, Berkeley High School