Thompson Fund

The Thompson Scholarship Fund has been the primary source of scholarship funds for Saratoga Rotary for the last 12 years. Fund oversight is provided by the Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation (SRCF). We are very fortunate to have this Fund to provide scholarships to local deserving students!

The Thompson Scholarship Fund has been the primary source of scholarship funds for Saratoga Rotary for the last 12 years. Fund oversight is provided by the Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation (SRCF). We are very fortunate to have this Fund to provide scholarships to local deserving students!

This year, the Thompson Fund Scholarship Committee accepted applications and conducted interviews with students for both types of Thompson Scholarships.  Our Thompson Recognition Scholarships are one-time awards, granted upon proof of enrollment in college. There are seven recipients this year.  We also granted three additional Thompson Legacy Scholarships in 2024. (Bringing the total to nine current Legacy Scholars!) Legacy Scholarships provide up to four years of scholarship money and adult mentors for a student who is selected based on merit, financial need and other circumstances that warrant a long-term, personal involvement in a student’s college career.  The $23,000 promised to 2024 scholars is the largest allocation of funds to high school students to date! 

Our recipients are a wonderful group of bright, articulate students with a variety of interests.  We are thrilled to recognize their academic successes, and especially their leadership and community service! This year, many were from the outstanding Interact Club at Prospect High School. Special thanks to our Scholarship Committee members this year: Archana Vahalia, Aparna Vijay, Keong Kam, Mary Ellen Comport, Bridget Warwick, Hema Raja, Moe Baniani, Teri Kasik, Jim LeBlanc, Chuck Swan, Cathie Thermond, Phil Young, Sangita Seshadri, and Carol Woodard.

Zinneerah Ahmed:  Saratoga High School.  Zinneerah plans to start college at DeAnza and then transfer to UCLA and major in economics.  She aspires to go to Law school to study immigration law.  She excelled in Basketball and Field Hockey, and was team captain in both sports.  Zinneerah volunteered with Dream Volunteers, Rise Against Hunger, and the Muslim Community Association.  She also held several leadership positions in student organizations.  Zinneerah worked about 15 hours a week in the hospitality industry while in school.
Tinna Anukulsuplert: Prospect High School.  Tinna was a new student to PHS as a senior when she arrived in the United States.  She quickly learned English and joined the Interact Club where she found good friends and a passion for service.  Tinna will attend DeAnza College with plans to transfer to a four-year university and major in fashion merchandizing.  She currently works at a clothing shop. Ever since she was a child, she has been fascinated by color, design, and fabric; balancing her job with academics has helped Tinna develop creativity and diligence.

Kevin Bui: Prospect High School.  Kevin, one of this year’s Legacy Scholars, plans to get a Master’s degree in Computer Science and specialize in Cyber Security.  He will attend the University of California Davis in the fall.  A straight A student, Kevin was involved in a large variety of school activities including school leadership, the Math, Engineering and Science club which also tutored students, the Writing and Public Speaking club (an additional tutoring program), assistant volleyball coach, and Asian Student Union. We know him best for his incredible involvement in Interact, for which he was nominated for Interactor of the year in Area 11.  Kevin was instrumental in the revitalization of the Prospect Interact Club, more than doubling the membership while being their treasurer and vice president.  He also was an Outreach Chair and Project Representative for Area 11 in District 5170.  Bui was our contact for student volunteers; PHS provided help with Breakfast with Santa, Rise Against Hunger, and the Art Show. Bui credits RYLA with his passion for Rotary.

Bridget Burgos: Saratoga High School.  Bridget will attend Loyola Marymount University, aspiring to a business career.  At SHS, she was involved in Females for Finance and Girl Up Saratoga among others.  A synchronized swimmer, Bridget has volunteered with Bay Area Synchro to help teach disabled and able-bodied children artistic swimming.  She has been employed at a womens’ center as an administrative assistant for the last year.

Ryan Fuhrman: Prospect High School.  Ryan is our second Legacy Scholar this year.  He plans to attend University of California San Diego in the fall and major in civil engineering with the goal of becoming an architect or structural engineer.  Ryan was involved in student leadership, debate, varsity volleyball, the Mabuhay Club, as well as Interact all four years.  He was the Interact Outreach officer at Prospect and attended RYLA; he was selected from a competitive process to be a counselor at RYLA this summer.

Cherilyn Hu: Saratoga High School.  Cherilyn wants to become an environmental engineer, creating innovative and technological solutions to climate change.  She will start this journey attending New York University. Her extracurricular activities included a lot of music; she played the harp in the orchestra and participated in color guard all four years.  Cherilyn’s passion is microplastics.  She founded a non-profit and has conducted research on how to reduce microplastic pollution.  Her study of microplastics included teaching a class for over 100 students about the threat to soil health through Silicon Valley STEM for Youth.

Charles Ow: Prospect High School. Charles will attend the University of California Berkeley, to become a software engineer or data scientist.  His career goals include teaching others about the field of data science.  While in high school, Charles was team captain of both a club volleyball team and the PHS team, as well as being an assistant coach and summer camp leader.  Charles was a tutor with the PHS Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Club and the Writing Improvement Club.  He also was an active Interact member, participating in fundraising and many service events.

Leanne Phan: Prospect High School. Leanne plans a career in Pediatric Occupational Therapy.  She plans to major in Kinesiology and Physical Therapy at San Jose State University. Leanne was very involved in Interact at both the PHS level and in Area 11.  She was an event coordinator for the PHS club and the newsletter coordinator at the Area level.  A member of the Asian Student Union as well as the media specialist for the English Language Development Club, Leanne was busy with school activities while taking care of her younger sister.

Nishka Saxena: Prospect High School. Nishka has been dreaming about a career with NASA or SpaceX since she was very young.  She plans to major in Astrophysics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  Not surprisingly, Nishka founded an astronomy club at PHS as well as tutored with the MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) club. She held leadership positions in multiple student organizations as well as excelling in both club and PHS Volleyball.  Nishka also was an active member of Interact at PHS, participating in the events with our Saratoga Rotary Club among others.
Precila Sudaria: Prospect High School. Precila is our third Legacy Scholar this year.  She is planning a career in the STEM area, either as an UX/UI Designer or as an Optometrist.  Precila will start her education at DeAnza College, with plans to transfer to University of California San Diego.  Another RYLA camper, Precila was a very active Interact member, with hundreds of volunteer hours and the position of PHS club secretary and Area 11 Publicist.  She also volunteered at Martha’s Kitchen.  Precila’s other school activities included ASB Leadership, the Asian Student Union and the Filipino Student Association (Mabuhay).

 

Congratulations to all these amazing young people!  We hope they continue to embody “Service Above Self” as they head off to college and prepare for their careers.

In addition to these high school scholarship awards, in 2021, the Thompson Fund established an endowed scholarship at West Valley College.  This fund provides one scholarship each year for a WVC student who has plans to transfer to a four-year college or university.  

Melissa Johns, Executive Director, Advancement at WVC expressed what these scholarships mean to the students: “Scholarships are such a powerful vehicle for positive change.  The number one reason students drop out of college is financial.  Our scholarship recipients are tremendously grateful for the gift to help them stay on track to achieving their academic and career goals.  Our students also take pride in the significance of the award, as scholarships are so much more than money to them.  The awards are also a vote of confidence in their potential, a sign of belief in their dreams, and a cheer from the crowd for their continued success.’

This year’s recipient of the WVC Saratoga Rotary Thompson Fund Scholarship was Isaac Martinez.