Kent Community Foundation awards 49 scholarships valued at more than $100,000 to local Students

In May, the Kent Community Foundation awarded Kent School District students with 49 scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year, totaling more than $100,000.

The scholarships include 14 administered directly by the Kent Community Foundation as well as those from partner organizations, including the Kent Area PTSA, Rotary Club of Kent, Valley Girls & Guys, and Kent Rotary.

“This community scholarship event is a celebration of achievement, not just for the recipients but for the entire community. It’s an opportunity to recognize and honor the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of students striving to reach their academic goals despite challenges,” said Brenda Farwell, president of the Kent Community Foundation.

“This annual event brings together local businesses, organizations, and individuals with a common purpose: to invest in the future by supporting the educational aspirations of deserving students,” Farwell added. “Through a wide range of scholarship opportunities, we are able to cater to diverse fields of study and backgrounds. This means more students have access to financial support, maximizing the impact on the community, now and in the future.”

This year’s scholarship award recipients, listed by school, are as follows:

Kentlake High School scholarship recipients

• Kent Chamber of Commerce Scholarship: Alyssa Phillips
• Richard and Ina Balash Scholarship: Rylan Renggli
• Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation: Morgan Martinsons
• Emiko Craig Scholarship: Sophia Soriano
• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Morgan Martinsons
• Rotary Club of Kent Scholarship: Morgan Martinsons and Rylan Renggli
• Valley Girls & Guys Scholarship: Charli Culp and Tristan Jave Petruic

Kent Laboratory Academy scholarship recipients

• Diego Morena Scholarship: Micah Osgoodby
• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Micah Osgoodby
• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Dominique Smith
• Rotary Club of Kent: Dominique Smith

Kent-Meridian High School scholarship recipients

• Mike Simmons Scholarship: Carlos Zuno and Dunya Farahman
• Rob Osborne Scholarship: Marlene Veveris
• Jim McGinnis Scholarship: Adrianna Patala, Giftie Mbala, Hana Amos, Ashley Arenas and
• Stephanie Garcia
• Jan Louis Quitoriano Scholarship: Hana Amos
• Johnson/Stoddard Osness Scholarship: Hana Amos
• Audrey Rose Sells Scholarship: Dafne Gomez Barragan
• Gail Gese Scholarship: Stephanie Garcia
• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Stephanie Garcia
• Rotary Club of Kent Scholarship: Hana Amos

Kentridge High School scholarship recipients

• Kent Chamber of Commerce Scholarship: Peace Kathanzu
• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Hannah Schloemer
• Pat Butler Scholarship: Brittney Van
• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Charles Shaffer
• Kent Rotary Scholarship: Charles Shaffer, Kaiulani Sale’-Ayala and Rylan Gullard
• Kent Sunrise Rotary Club of Kent Scholarship: Peace Kathanzu
• Valley Girls & Guys Scholarship: Mila Tsai

Kentwood High School scholarship recipients

• Kent Area PTSA Scholarship: Ernest Rian Acob
• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Leila Ramirez-Noon
• Rotary Club of Kent: Maritza Mendoza Sandoval

Repeat scholarship recipients from past years

• Richard & Ina Balash Scholarship: Shumoos Abdelrahman and Andrew Cao
• Pat Butler Scholarship: Ashley Peris
• Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation Scholarship: Cassandra Champman
• Linda Ruby Scholarship: Jessica Gaul, Karina Foree and Briawna Chan

More than 130 people attended the annual scholarship awards celebration, emceed by Kentlake teacher, DECA advisor and former foundation board member Amy Hobson. Attendees included 18 students and their families, donors, Kent School District staff, the Kent Community Foundation board, foundation volunteers and community supporters.

Food was provided by board members and Medina Café & Grill in Kent. In addition to the presentation of the scholarships, Dr. Wade Barringer, deputy superintendent of the Kent School District, talked about creating the Mike Simmons scholarship in Simmons’ memory and how this legacy translates into continued support for education.

Interested students submitted their applications through the user-friendly Kent Community Foundation scholarship portal. Eligible students could apply for more than one scholarship, and certain scholarships allow past winners to reapply after their initial award.

Scholarship recipients were selected by committees for each scholarship. Christine Sellers was one of the scholarship reviewers.

“With all of the negative things that are on the news and going on in the world, being a scholarship evaluator gives me a great deal of hope for the future of our young people. I am always in awe of the amazing things the students are accomplishing, the goals they are setting, and the contributions they want to make. Doing this is special to me as I started doing so with my father-in-law, Lew Sellers, at his request. He is no longer able to be an evaluator, so I am doing it in his honor,” Sellers said.

For more information about creating a scholarship fund or donating to an existing one, please contact Brenda Farwell at 206-786-1546 or info@kentcommunityfoundation.org.

About the Kent Community Foundation

Founded in 1986, the Kent Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the greater Kent, Washington community. Until 2017, the organization’s mission was to support cultural arts and education. In 2017, the foundation expanded their mission to better serve the changing needs of the community, particularly during the pandemic through Kent Community Partners. To date, the foundation has awarded $583,386 in scholarships and $576,572 in grants. The organization continues to grow and thrive under volunteer leadership as the nonprofit looks toward what is next for the organization and the community.

More info here:

https://kentcommunityfoundation.org/