2019 Eddie College Scholarship Winners are a Spectacular Group!
By Eric Steckel | June 23, 2019
2019 Eddie College Scholarship Award Winners. Pictured (L-R) Nicholas Lu, Jordan White, Dave Sundman (Career Bridge Program Manager), Christine Zhou and Moises Gomez. (Hadiya Williams-Cain is not pictured)
For the past five years, it has been my pleasure to serve on the Eddie College Scholarship Award panel. The CareerBridge program was my entry point to Children Rising. The program – and the scholarship in particular – are near and dear to my heart. In my time, we’ve had some very special award recipients.
This year was a little different.
We selected five finalists to interview the first weekend in April. By the time the last student walked out the door, the entire panels’ heads were spinning.
All five finalists were hands-down deserving of an award. They were literally neck-and-neck. While each candidate had their own unique gifts, experiences and successes, they were a spectacular group.
“How are we going to decide between them?” we asked ourselves.
The good news? We did not have to decide. We had up to five scholarships to offer and we unanimously voted to offer a scholarship to each of our finalists. It wasn’t even a question.
“While each candidate had their own unique gifts, experiences and successes, they were a spectacular group.”
At our recent Hope For Children Now Gala, we honored these five special young adults. Allow us to share just a little bit about your 2019 Eddie College Scholarship winners, a truly spectacular group.
Moises Gomez – Moises, a 2019 graduate of San Leandro High School, enrolled in CareerBridge after participating in the rigorous Boost@Haas Program at University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Both programs, designed to open doors to a fulfilling career, have helped him prepare for college. His Summer internship at CALTRANS convinced him to focus on civil engineering studies. Moises, an accomplished baseball player, will matriculate to San Francisco State University in the Fall.
Moises Gomez selects the raffle prize winner at Hope For Children Now Gala.
Nicholas Lu – Nicholas’ biology teacher raves that he is, “One of the most academically capable students, and yet humble and always willing to serve others.” Nicholas came to us from Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland. In addition to taking numerous college courses throughout high school, he participated in CareerBridge for the past two years as well as Boost@Haas. In 2017 he interned with Children Rising at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School. At MLK, he worked with special needs children, which was an eye-opening experience for him. Nicholas, who’s parents immigrated from China through Vietnam, is eager to attend either UC Berekely or UCLA.
Jordan White speaks on behalf of her fellow Eddie College Scholarship winners. CareerBridge helps youth envision – and realize – a meaningful, fulfilling career.
Jordan White – Jordan came to CareerBridge after her mother, who works at BART, had hosted a CareerBridge intern in 2018. She suggested her daughter enroll. Jordan, who aspires to be a lawyer and politician, enjoyed an internship in BART’s office of general counsel. There she got a close-up look at life as an attorney. Like many students in our programs, Jordan had significant challenges to overcome in High School. CareerBridge was there to give her a boost of confidence and be part of her healing experience. After graduating from El Cerito High School, Jordan was awarded a full academic scholarship to attend Prairie View A&M in Texas.
Hadiya Williams-Cain – Hadiya, a 2019 graduate of Saint Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda, dreams of a future in public relations, marketing and advertising. In addition to excelling at school, Hadiya possesses strong leadership capabilities and was an accomplished volleyball player. She also gave back to her community in numerous ways. After a difficult experience her freshman year, she joined the school’s Link Crew Program, which is dedicated to helping underclassmen transition from middle school to high school. She also volunteered at organizations like Today’s Youth Matter, City Team Oakland, SJND Summer Volleyball Camp and others. Hadiya hopes to enroll at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, Occidental College in Los Angeles or the University of San Francisco in the Fall.
Christine Zhou – Christine, a 2019 graduate of Piedmont High School, also came to CareerBridge from Boost@Haas. A first-generation Chinese-American, she split her weekends between Boost and the Chinese and American Student Educational Exchange Program (CASEEP), where she became president in her senior year. CASEEP helped Christene “find” her Chinese roots, form better relationships between China and the US, and inspire the next generation of Chinese-American children. Christine hopes to enroll at Duke Kunshan University (DKU), an international university jointly founded by Duke University and Wuhan University of China, where she can use her understanding of Chinese and American cultures in a career in international business management.
This just scratches the surface of what these five extraordinary students have to offer. We wish them much success as they move on to college and beyond.
YES, I CAN help an extraordinary youth go to college. Let’s talk!
I want help fund Children Rising tutoring and mentoring programs.
I want to be a tutor or mentor this school year. Tell me more!