Gilroy High School senior Vetania Carrasco got a welcomed surprise March 15 when representatives from the San Jose Earthquakes showed up at her classroom with a $5,000 check.
The San Jose Earthquakes Foundation awarded Carrasco a one-time $5,000 scholarship in partnership with the Bay Area All-Star Scholarship Team program, known as BAASS, to help her achieve her goals of higher education.
On Thursday, March 15, Earthquakes mascot Q and Marissa Silver, the director of community relations for the Quakes, showed up at Gilroy High School to surprise her with a giant check and let her know that she is the scholarship recipient. Carrasco will also be honored at the Quakes match on June 13 against the New England Revolution.
Carrasco is part of the California Scholarship Federation, Sister Cities Club and Latinos Club. She is also a member of the Gilroy junior varsity volleyball and varsity golf teams. She also supports health fairs and tries to provide food to the homeless whenever she can, according to the announcement.
With the BAASST program, the seven professional sports teams select a deserving student within the nine Bay Area counties. The recipients must be college-bound seniors who display leadership qualities in and out of the classroom, with a GPA of at least 3.0 from sophomore through senior year and demonstrate a commitment to extracurricular activities.
A teacher, coach or school administrator must nominate all scholarship candidates. To nominate a student, the school official must write a letter of recommendation describing the unique qualities, achievements and circumstances that make the student an exceptional scholarship nominee.
The BAASST program is the first of its kind in professional sports, according to the Quakes.
