16 Students Receive Grants for College

Two Ventura County Rotary clubs have awarded $6,000 in grants to high school and college students in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Oxnard and Moorpark.

The Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks gave $3,000 in grants to 10 Conejo Valley students to help them with future college expenses. The grants are based on academic standing and financial need.

Each of the following Thousand Oaks High School students receive between $200 and $500 to help with college expenses: Runya Bedrosian, Noelle Cameron, Heather Driscoll, Justin Saltzman, Stephanie Sun and Alora Theriault. Robert Pasielko of Conejo Valley High School, Erin Teffeteler of La Reina High School, Heather Moon of Cal Lutheran University and Jeffrey Johnson of Moorpark College also received grant money.

Unlike many awards, which go to students with the highest academic performance, the Thousand Oaks Rotary scholarship committee looks for students with a 2.5 to 3.5 grade point average.

“We figure that a student with 3.5-plus average is going to be qualified for other scholarships,” said Stan Cowan, a Rotary Club member who was on the selection committee. “We try to strike middle ground to get students who are motivated, personable and really have a need.”

Meanwhile, the Camarillo Rotary Club awarded $500 each to six students at a lunchtime ceremony Wednesday.

The Honn Memorial Scholarship was awarded to four students--Robert James Arthur and Shannon Leigh Murphy of Adolfo Camarillo High School, and Jennifer Minyard and Jade Sawyer of Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard--for their academic achievements and active community service.

Two students who have decided to pursue vocational careers received similar awards. The Tish Taylor Vocational Award was presented to Melissa Leigh Perez of Camarillo High and the Bill Maxwell Vocational Award to Jose Valdez of Rio Mesa High.