GILROY
– Although five students will compete Friday for scholarships at
the 15th Annual Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Ambassador’s
Ball, they are all winners because they will all be rewarded for
their contributions to the community.
GILROY – Although five students will compete Friday for scholarships at the 15th Annual Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Ambassador’s Ball, they are all winners because they will all be rewarded for their contributions to the community.
“This is about leadership, community service, and academic success,” said Eleanor Villarreal, committee chair for sponsors and judges.
The five finalists will receive scholar-ships that range in size from $800 to $1,850. All students will receive a scholarship.
Eleven students applied for the scholarship, which is open to both men and women students in the Gavilan District – which includes Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister.
The ball began in 1988, and is an event that aims to acknowledge and encourage young adults who perform community service, Villarreal said.
To be consid-ered, students must have at least a 3.0 grade-point average, be involved in community service, going onto a four-year university and be graduating from one of the Gavilan District schools.
The finalist are: Karla Zuniga Bravo, Amparo Cid, Rosa Leon, Raquel Lopez and Rosanna Rodriguez.
Bravo, 18, has a 3.09 GPA and volunteers at the Learning and Loving Center in Morgan Hill where she assists immigrant women with language classes and resource information.
A senior at Live Oak High School, Bravo plans to attend University of California, Berkeley and study political science. She will sing and play guitar at the ball.
Cid, 17, also a senior at Live Oak High School has a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, Key Club and has assisted with computer classes at the temporary housing shelter in Sam Martin.
She is a liturgy reader at St. Catherine Church. Her goal is to graduate in the top 10 percent of her class and hopes to eventually become an attorney. She will perform poetry at the event.
The two alumnae from Gilroy High School will each perform a drama piece at the ball.
Leon, 20, is a student at Gavilan Community College and has a 3.8 GPA and is a cast member in the college’s play “King Lear.” She played a role lead in “Romeo and Juliet” and has been in several other local play productions.
She plans to transfer to California State University, Monterey Bay next fall.
Lopez, 18, currently has a 3.0 GPA and is also a student at Gavilan. She volunteers each year at the Garlic Festival and is a catechism teacher at St. Mary Church.
She plans to transfer to San Jose State University and hopes to become an elementary school teacher.
The only finalist from San Benito High School, Rodriguez, 17, hopes to become a pediatrician.
She holds a 3.0 GPA and will perform a folkloric dance at the event. She is the daughter of a Gilroy police officer.
Additional scholarships will be awarded at the event each in the amount of $500.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 15th annual Ambassador’s Ball will be held Friday, May 3, from 6-11 p.m. at the Elk’s Lodge. Tickets are $50 per person, $400 per table. Details: 842-2258.
