COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- For the tenth consecutive year, the Financial Service Centers of America (FiSCA) has awarded scholarships to college bound seniors in areas across the United States serviced by its members. The awards were announced at the 21st Annual FiSCA's Conference & Exposition, taking place in Colorado Springs, CO. One of the scholarship winners, Brandon Barbello of Burbank, CA, attended the conference and accepted his award in person. He is currently a freshman at Stanford University. The award ceremony, including remarks from Mr. Barbello, can be found by visiting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNmprmHRjag and you can find the accompanying presentation at http://www.fisca.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Events/2009AnnualConferenceExposition/NationalScholarshipPresentation.pdf.
This year 34 exemplary students from across the country each received cash grants of at least $2,000 to use toward their college expenses. In total $70,500 in scholarships were awarded. The criteria for the scholarships include:
- Commitment to community service
- Perseverance in the face of significant obstacles
- Display of leadership skills in school
- Academic Achievement
- An original essay written specifically for the competition
The competition for the scholarships is intense, with more than 1,500 high school seniors applying for the 34 awards. All applications are ranked by first regional and then national review committees.
"It is an important time to support students in their pursuit of higher education," said Sanford Herman, Chairman, FiSCA Scholarship Program. "Even in these difficult economic times, individual FiSCA members as well as MoneyGram International and Western Union, our national sponsors, are committed to the Scholarship Program and to the communities they serve. Our industry leaders understand that investing in America's future is in everyone's best interests."
With this year's awards FiSCA has issued $530,500 in college grants to 225 deserving students across the country since the program's inception in 1999. The scholarship program is funded by the voluntary contributions of FiSCA members and affiliate members, as well as national sponsors MoneyGram International and Western Union.
"FiSCA's members are driven to continue to be positive community establishments and this scholarship program continues to be a way for us to give back to these communities in which we work and live," said Herman. "Giving these students a chance to continue their education is an honor for us, and it is exciting to help these students fulfill their academic potential and lifelong goals."'
The winners of the 2009 FiSCA Scholarship Program include:
Winner Location High School
------ -------- -----------
East
Gayatri Malhotra Forest Hills, NY Stuyvesant High School
Min Yang Haverstraw, NY North Rockland High School
Krysten S. Thomas Washington, DC National Cathedral School
Maliah Tariq Madison, CT Daniel Hand High School
Rachel M. Babineau Stratford, CT Frank Scott Bunnell High School
Cara Falon Thompson Sicklerville, NJ Gloucester County Institute
of Technology
Jeremiah P. Hudson Forestville, MD Central High School
Southeast
Allison M. White Portland, TN Portland High School
Alesia N. McFarlin Greenville, SC Southside High School
Michelle D. Rooks Wesley Chapel, FL Wesley Chapel High School
Nathalie G. Calderon Apopka, FL Apopka High School
Tiffany J. Martin Port Saint Treasure Coast High School
Lucie, FL
Shannen T. Jacobs Cedar Grove, NC Cedar Ridge High School
Anna A. Miles Valdosta, GA Valdosta High School
Midwest
Christopher J. Murray Hinsdale, IL Hinsdale Central High School
Kara Faciszewski Marshfield, WI Marshfield High School
Erika J. Vivyan Farmington Harrison High School
Hills, MI
Angela Weng Chicago, IL Whitney M. Young Magnet High
School
Sarah M. Menke Evansville, IN North High School
Brittany S. Polin Bardstown, KY Bardstown High School
Erin L. Adams Lee's Summit, MO Lee's Summit High School
Katherine G. Polenick Warren, OH Warren G. Harding High School
Southwest
Vickie Garcia Waco, TX A.J. Moore Academy
Kara J. Ortiz El Paso, TX Franklin High School
Lute Yang Spring, TX Klein Collins High School
Matthew A. Smelser Olathe, CO Olathe High School
Allison L. Jones Mansfield, TX Mansfield Legacy High School
Christian R. Amador Yuma, AZ Kofa High School
Lindsey E. Maxon Arlington, TX Lamar High School
West
Demoni A. Newman Torrington, WY Torrington High School
Brandon C. Barbello Burbank, CA John Burroughs High School
Danica J. Loucks Hamilton, MT Hamilton High School
Jeremy R. Chang Laguna Niguel, CA Dana Hills High School
Matthew T. Demopoulous Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara High School
About FiSCA
FiSCA, founded in 1987, is the national trade association for more than 6,500 individual financial service centers across the United States. FiSCA members provide a wide variety of financial services and products to their communities, including check cashing, money orders, money transfers, and electronic bill payment services, automatic teller machine access, government benefit and payroll payments, small dollar short-term loans, electronic tax preparation, prepaid debit cards, deposit acceptance services, public transportation fare and token sales, motor vehicle license plate and title distribution, postage stamp sales and numerous other services. For more information, please visit www.fisca.org.
