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$2 Million in Broad Prize Scholarships Awarded to 106 High School Seniors to Attend College

LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2011—The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today it has awarded $2 million in Broad Prize college scholarships to 106 graduating high school seniors whose school districts were recognized last year as the most improved urban school districts in the country.

The scholarships were awarded to students in five school districts that were finalists for the 2010 Broad (pronounced like “road”) Prize, the largest education prize in the country given each year to urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among income and ethnic groups.

The winner of the 2010 Broad Prize was Georgia’s Gwinnett County Public Schools, which received $1 million in scholarships. The four finalist districts that each received $250,000 in scholarships were Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and the Socorro Independent School District and the Ysleta Independent School District, both in El Paso, Texas.

“We congratulate these students for their academic success but more importantly for improving their performance during high school,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation, a national education philanthropy based in Los Angeles. “They represent the success of their districts in raising the bar and helping all students prepare for college and beyond.”

Unlike many traditional scholarships that are awarded only to top-tier students, Broad Prize scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors who have a demonstrated record of improving their grades over the course of their high school career and have a financial need.

Broad Prize scholars receive two- or four-year scholarships depending on the type of institution they choose to attend. Scholarship recipients who enroll in four-year institutions receive $20,000 paid out over four years ($5,000 per year). Students who enroll in two-year institutions receive $5,000 scholarships paid out over two years ($2,500 per year). The scholarship selection and disbursement process is managed by Scholarship America.

A full list of this year’s scholarship recipients by school districts is below.

Since the first Broad Prize was awarded in 2002, more than 1,000 students nationwide have received college scholarships.

The winner of the 2011 Broad Prize will be announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Sept. 20 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This year’s finalists are: Broward County Public Schools in Florida, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a national venture philanthropy established by philanthropist Eli Broad to advance entrepreneurship for the public good in education, science and the arts. The Broad Foundation’s education work is focused on dramatically improving K-12 urban public education through better governance, management, labor relations and competition. The foundation’s Internet address is www.broadeducation.org. For more information about The Broad Prize, please visit www.broadprize.org.

The following 13 seniors from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were selected to receive Broad Prize scholarships:

Sophia Centeno, School of Biotechnology, Health and Public Education at Olympic High
Ryan Doggett, Cato Middle College High
Ryan Herbin, E.E. Waddell High
Elliott Locke, Harding University High
Emmanuella Mensah, Harding University High
David Rashidi, International Studies School at Garinger High
Tiana Anderson, Myers Park High
Christopher Block, Myers Park High
Nicholas Dillon-Stout, Myers Park High
Leslie Nguyen, Myers Park High
Raul Gonzalez, North Mecklenburg High
Justin McCoy, Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology
Joshua Pyant, Zebulon B. Vance High

The following 51 seniors were selected from Gwinnett County Public Schools to receive Broad Prize scholarships:

Anna E. Hunter, Archer High
Ana R. Barrera, Berkmar High
Diamond Bledsoe, Berkmar High
Ioana Creta, Berkmar High
Kevin A. Jordan, Berkmar High
Darshan Patel, Brookwood High
Daniel A. Lapniewski, Central Gwinnett High
Alexis Taylor, Central Gwinnett High
Zoe Crane, Collins Hill High
Taylor M. White, Collins Hill High
Sydney Williams, Collins Hill High
Anije S. Williams, Collins Hill High
Karla Cruz, Dacula High
Shelley F. McDaniel, Dacula High
Al Haj Shah, Dacula High
Katherine J. Aubrey, Duluth High
Erik T. Brewer, Duluth High
Celene Cervin, Duluth High
Dionnet Bhatti, Grayson High
Candice C. Cobb, Grayson High
Jeshua Pope, Grayson High
Farida I. Bana, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Dione Duc, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Mahnoor Hassan, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Dominique D. McLeod, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Mary Nguyen, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Alexander Steahr, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Ivana Stojkic, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Miriam R. Choudhry, Meadowcreek High
Lemlem Mehari, Meadowcreek High
Hiral Patel, Meadowcreek High
Anisha Ali, Mill Creek High
Tishan Bowen-Gordon, Mill Creek High
Chelsea Cierski, Mill Creek High
Cailee T. De Leon, Mill Creek High
Juan Forero, Mill Creek High
Leila Osman, Mill Creek High
Catherine M. Starry, Mill Creek High
Tiah D. Westover, Mill Creek High
Kelly Wilkinson, Mill Creek High
Yessi S. Castro, Mountain View High
Nurin Abdulwassy, Norcross High
Aminatou Diallo, Norcross High
Seth A. Hinsley, Norcross High
Florence Pham, Norcross High
Star Reese, Norcross High
Michelle C. Fulleda, North Gwinnett High
Kaleb Swanda, North Gwinnett High
Adnan Nathani, Peachtree Ridge High
Wanda L. Wilson, Phoenix High
Senae Jones South, Gwinnett High

The following 13 seniors from Montgomery County Public Schools were selected to receive Broad Prize scholarships:

Nana Twum Agyire, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High
Perfect E. Torkornoo, Clarksburg High
Susana Chiang Colonel, Zadok Magruder High
Stephanie Abaga, Gaithersburg High
Nasra Missana, Gaithersburg High
Brittany A. Hamson, James Hubert Blake High
Rosa Vicente, John F. Kennedy High
Talmo D. Pereira, Quince Orchard High
Bereket Mamo, Seneca Valley High
Amelia J. Bell-Andrew, Sherwood High
Charlotte M. Jackson, Walter Johnson High
Jeremiah D. Kober, Watkins Mill High
Erma Quimat, Wheaton High

The following 16 seniors from the Socorro Independent School District were selected to receive Broad Prize scholarships:

Evelyn Bernal, Americas High
Sofia Corral, Americas High
Hugo Loera, Americas High
Alberto Rodriguez, Americas High
Luis Melendez, El Dorado High
Sandy Osorio, El Dorado High
Brenda Dominguez, Montwood High
Tarek Puente, Montwood High
Javier Rocha, Montwood High
Mariah Schneider, Montwood High
Benjamin Vargas, Montwood High
Gabriela De La Rosa, Socorro High
Roxann Lerma, Socorro High
Jaime Meraz, Socorro High
Karen Otero, Socorro High
Pamela Ponce, Socorro High

The following 13 seniors were selected from the Ysleta Independent School District to receive Broad Prize scholarships:

Yoshika Amamori, Bel Air High
Bernice Diaz, Bel Air High
Samuel Alvidrez, Del Valle High
Victoria Marquez, Del Valle High
Alexander Bennett, Eastwood High
Daniela Caro, Hanks High
Ashley Grice, Hanks High
Rogie Alcala, Riverside High
Nancy Ito, Riverside High
Daniel Maciel, Riverside High
Hugh Chavez, Valle Verde Early College High
Dominique Arroyos, Ysleta High
Rachel Yero, Ysleta High

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