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One Hundred California Students Awarded Prestigious Horatio Alger State Scholarship
Arthur A. Ciocca Provides $2,500 Scholarships to Teens for Overcoming Adversity

Washington, D.C. (May 29, 2008) – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is pleased to announce that it has awarded 100 scholarships to deserving high school students in California. Each Scholar will receive $2,500 to fund their college education. The state honorees were selected for the Horatio Alger State Scholarship Program because they made academics a priority while facing and overcoming great obstacles in their young lives.

Horatio Alger Association Immediate Past Chairman Dennis R. Washington said, “We are proud to present this award to the students of California who have demonstrated integrity and determination despite significant challenges. We envision great futures for these teens.”

The State Scholarship Programs, ranging from $2,500 to $10,500, are sponsored by Horatio Alger Members and friends of the Association. In 2008, the program awarded more than 900 scholarships to students throughout the country.

The California scholarships are made possible by Horatio Alger Member Arthur A. Ciocca.

“With the help ofArthur Ciocca, more young people will have a real chance at success beginning with a higher education,” Washington added.

Horatio Alger Scholars are provided with numerous resources to ensure a successful college career. Each student receives:

• Financial aid guidance to assist in selection of and preparation for college.
• Access to the Association’s Web site where students can create online profiles, search for fellow scholars, update their personal information, submit disbursement requests, and direct questions to the Association.
• Access to a toll-free information line to speak to program coordinators for assistance with questions about their scholarships and other educational programs.

The 2008 California recipients are:

• Lexi  K. Amrhein of Big Bear Lake, Big Bear High School
• Timothy D. Aparicio of Porterville, Granite Hills High School
• Masumi G. Asahi of Sacramento, C.K. McClatchy High School
• Rohina Asifi of Union City, James Logan High School
• Nina  K. Bajwa of Livingston, Livingston High School
• Edgardo Barreto of San Jose, Piedmont Hills High School
• Hagikah V. Birden of Lancaster, Lancaster High School
• Kimberley  A. Bone of Lake Isabella, Kern Valley High School
• Sean R. Boyd of Lake Elsinore, Lakeside High School
• Christina  T. Buu of Stockton, Bear Creek High School
• Taneshia R. Castain of Alta Loma, Alta Loma High School
• Vidiana Cervantes of Visalia, Golden West High School
• Keary Champi of La Jolla, The Preuss School UCSD
• Elizabeth  Y. Chan of San Francisco, Lowell High School
• Eva  L. Chen of Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar High School
• Ebony A. Chetto of Corona, Santiago High School
• Lisa Chuong of Sacramento, Florin High School
• David H. Cordeiro of Ojai, Villanova Preparatory School
• Rubi Y. Decena of Los Angeles, Theodore Roosevelt High School
• Guadalupe Diaz of Porterville, Monache High School
• Stephanie L. Dorsey of Los Angeles, Downtown Business Magnet High School
• Karen C. Egu of Concord, Carondelet High School
• Adriana M. Ellwood of Desert Hot Springs, Desert Hot Springs High School
• Ileana I. Figueroa of Chula Vista, Castle Park High School
• Christine  Flores of Fillmore, Fillmore High School
• Marcy E. Frevert of Lancaster, Desert Christian High School
• Cien Gao of Sacramento, John F. Kennedy High School
• Carolina Garcia of Seaside, Seaside High School
• Mary K. Garcia of Kingsburg, Kingsburg Joint Union High School
• Mariela Garcia of Hercules, Hercules Middle/High School
• Veronica V. Garcia of Fresno, Theodore Roosevelt High School
• Khushwinder K. Gill of Bakersfield, South High School
• Nicholas  J. Gomieo of Twentynine Palms, Twentynine Palms High School
• Matthew J. Gonzalez of Los Angeles, Theodore Roosevelt High School
• Samantha F. Gonzalez of Santa Monica, Santa Monica High School
• Raul Gutierrez of Paramount, Paramount High School
• Selene E. Gutierrez of Porterville, Granite Hills High School
• Hannah L. Hanlon of Boron, Boron High School
• Aminah K. Hassoun of Oxnard, Oxnard High School
• Karen Hernandez of Canoga Park, Canoga Park High School
• Steven A. Hernandez of Lancaster, Antelope Valley High School
• Holly L. Hofrichter of Bakersfield, Centennial High School
• Nicholas P. Houston of North Hills, Los Angeles Baptist High School
• Betty Hua of San Diego, Hoover High School
• Shao Jun Huang of San Francisco, International Studies Academy
• Ben M. Ingersoll of Shasta Lake, Central Valley High School
• Lourd Kettoola of El Cajon, Granite Hills High School
• Christina Khavarian of La Jolla, The Preuss School UCSD
• Alexandria Kometas of Boron, Boron High School
• Kenneth M. Kruse of Spring Valley, Monte Vista High School
• Yi-Ping  Lan of San Jose, Lynbrook High School
• Andy S. Lee of Fresno, Clovis West High School
• Mariza Lockhart of Santa Monica, Santa Monica High School
• Michelle Lozano Villegas of North Hollywood, Harvard Westlake School
• Hector Lucero of Bell, Bell High School
• Hannah J. Markee of Carlsbad, Carlsbad High School
• Joanna Martinez of Santa Rosa, Roseland University Prep
• Monique A. McDade of Rocklin, Rocklin High School
• Steven  J. Miller of Atascadero, Atascadero High School
• Thuymy H. Nguyen of El Cajon, Granite Hills High School
• Lee H. Nguyen of Stockton, Bear Creek High School
• Bijal U. Patel of Felton, San Lorenzo Valley High School
• Anthony  G. Pena of Soledad, Soledad High School
• Edgar H. Perez of Venice, Animo Venice Charter High School
• Chelsea M. Pino of Imperial Beach, Mar Vista High School
• Crystal J. Prag of Lodi, Lodi High School
• Mikki L. Purdy of Yuba City, Yuba City High School
• Alexandra M. Quintela of Atwater, Buhach Colony High School
• Julie Mae C. Rabang of Stockton, Edison Senior High School
• Inez E. Ramirez of Carlsbad, Lacosta Canyon High School
• Alyssa D. Ramos of National City, Sweetwater Union High School
• Fernando D. Rios of Atwater, Atwater High School
• Katelyn I. Robledo of San Juan Bautista, Anzar High School
• Maricruz Rodriguez of Cerritos, Gahr High School
• Cindy Ruvalcaba of Newman, Orestimba High School
• Fadi S. Shaya of La Mesa, Grossmont High School
• Jon A. Shubin of Whittier, Whittier High School
• Sam N. Simantob of Pacific Palisade, Palisades Charter High School
• Frederick M. Smith, II of North Hollywood, North Hollywood High School
• Daniela  Solano of San Diego, Clairemont High School
• Roger Soto of Los Angeles, Santee Education Complex
• Priscilla  Soto of Porterville, Monache High School
• Monique A. Sowinski of Lawndale, Lawndale High School
• Megan M. Spencer of Lodi, Lodi High School
• Stephanie L. Spross of San Mateo, Aragon High School
• Shanita D. Talton of Oakland, Castlemont Bus. And Tech High School
• Jenna M. Tamimi of Burbank, John Burroughs High School
• Mi Thich of Monterey, Monterey High School
• Nhat V. Tran of Visalia, Mount Whitney High School
• Michael D. Tubbs of Stockton, Franklin High School
• Rubi E. Valdez of Watsonville, Watsonville High School
• Nancy Vang of Merced, Merced High School
• Victoria Varela of Lindsay, Lindsay High School
• Vianney Y. Vargas of National City, Sweetwater Union High School
• Michelle A. Vaughn of Shasta Lake, Central Valley High School
• Summer A. West of Santa Barbara, Bishop Garcia Diego High School
• Lee P. Xiong of Sacramento, Grant High School
• Mai See Yang of Porterville, Granite Hills High School
• Edward Youn of Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove High School
• Aunna R. Younger of Manteca, East Union High School

Scholars are encouraged to remain connected with the Association throughout their lifetime.

About the Horatio Alger Association:

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program and state scholarship programs available to high school seniors in all 50 states, and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. The Association awards more than $12 million annually in college scholarships and has given over $62 million to deserving students since 1984. For more information about the scholarships, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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